City report · Mersin, Turkey
Tarsus Air quality today
Air quality in Tarsus currently reads AQI 93 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 93
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 31.6
- tree cover
- 10.1%
- trees in this area
- 31.7K
- more trees needed
- 62.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Tarsus, Mersin, Türkiye (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Tarsus · AQI 93 (Moderate)
Tarsus's tree count comes to 31,698 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 62,455 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Tarsus today: AQI 93, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Tarsus, Turkey, 800 m away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
31.6
PM10
48.5
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Turkey National Air Quality Monitoring Network (Ulusal Hava Kalitesi İzleme Ağı)
- 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 Tarsus's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 32 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 4.
Where Tarsus stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Tarsus: Critically low
10.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
31,698
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
62,455
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,374 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Tarsus lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tarsus has lost about 211 hectares of forest (about 300 football pitches): 68% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 12 hectares (5.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 211 haabout 300 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 68%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 12 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2017, when about 30 hectares 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 | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 8 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 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 | 15 ha | 16 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 26 ha | 26 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 16 ha | 16 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | 26 ha | 28 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | 28 ha | 30 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 15 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Tarsus?
- Loggingcan grow back94% · 198 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good5.1% · 11 ha
Also: towns and roads, unknown causes.
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
- 805 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 569 ha
- Overall change
- −236 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tarsus shrank from about 805 hectares to 569 hectares, a net loss of about 236 hectares (−29%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, but 326 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Tarsus
What is the air quality (AQI) in Tarsus right now?
The latest reading for Tarsus shows an AQI of 93 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Tarsus, Turkey, 800 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Tarsus today?
At AQI 93 (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 Tarsus been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tarsus's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 32 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Tarsus lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tarsus has lost about 211 hectares of forest (about 300 football pitches): 68% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 12 hectares (5.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tarsus shrank from about 805 hectares to 569 hectares, a net loss of about 236 hectares (−29%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, but 326 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Tarsus?
Tarsus has an estimated 31,698 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 10.1% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Tarsus need?
Tarsus needs roughly 62,455 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,374 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Tarsus's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Tarsus, 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 2 km radius around Tarsus; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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