City report · England, United Kingdom
Southend-on-Sea Air quality today
Air quality in Southend-on-Sea currently reads AQI 61 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 61
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 14.5
- tree cover
- 16.3%
- trees in this area
- 34.6K
- more trees needed
- 29.1K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Southend-on-Sea, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Southend-on-Sea · AQI 61 (Moderate)
Southend-on-Sea's tree count comes to 34,565 trees across 3.3 sq mi (8.48 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 29,052 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Southend-on-Sea today: AQI 61, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 14:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom, 1.6 mi (2.6 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
14.5
PM10
19.4
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, UK-AIR, air quality information resource - Defra, UK
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Southend-on-Sea's daily AQI at 64 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 84 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Southend-on-Sea stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Southend-on-Sea: Critically low
16.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.3 sq mi (8.48 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
34,565
Target trees
63,617
More trees needed
29,052
CO₂ if planted / yr
639.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Southend-on-Sea lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Southend-on-Sea has lost about 5 hectares of forest (about 7 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (14%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5 haabout 7 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- under 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 1 hectare of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Southend-on-Sea?
- Loggingcan grow back14% · under 1 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good10% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown82% · 4 ha
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 2,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,780 ha
- Overall change
- +80 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Southend-on-Sea grew from about 2,700 hectares to 2,780 hectares, a net gain of about 80 hectares (+3%). New forest grew on about 122 hectares, while 43 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Southend-on-Sea
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Basildon18.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 53
- Gillingham20.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 56
- Chelmsford27.7 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 53
- Maidstone33.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 81
- Bexley40.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 102
- Colchester41.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 71
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Frequently asked
Questions about Southend-on-Sea
What is the air quality (AQI) in Southend-on-Sea right now?
The latest reading for Southend-on-Sea shows an AQI of 61 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 14:00 local time by the Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom ground monitoring station, 1.6 mi (2.6 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Southend-on-Sea today?
At AQI 61 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Southend-on-Sea been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Southend-on-Sea's daily AQI at 64 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 84 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Southend-on-Sea's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Southend-on-Sea lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Southend-on-Sea has lost about 5 hectares of forest (about 7 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (14%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Southend-on-Sea grew from about 2,700 hectares to 2,780 hectares, a net gain of about 80 hectares (+3%). New forest grew on about 122 hectares, while 43 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Southend-on-Sea?
Southend-on-Sea has an estimated 34,565 trees across the 3.3 sq mi (8.48 km²) of land measured — 16.3% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Southend-on-Sea need?
Southend-on-Sea needs roughly 29,052 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 639.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Southend-on-Sea's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Southend-on-Sea, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Southend-on-Sea; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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