City report · Ibaraki, Japan
Tsukuba Air quality today
Air quality in Tsukuba currently reads AQI 62 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 62
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 15.0
- tree cover
- 22.4%
- trees in this area
- 70.4K
- more trees needed
- 23.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around 1 Chome Azuma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0031, Japan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jul 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Tsukuba · AQI 62 (Moderate)
Tsukuba's tree count comes to 70,372 trees across 12.57 km², 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 23,876 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Tsukuba today: AQI 62, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · つくば市研究学園 Tsukuba, Kenkyuugakuen, 4.5 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
15.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Redshift
- 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 Tsukuba's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 21 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 6.
Where Tsukuba stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Tsukuba: Below target
22.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
70,372
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
23,876
CO₂ if planted / yr
525.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Tsukuba lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tsukuba has lost about 296 hectares of forest (about 420 football pitches): 6.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 296 haabout 420 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 6.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 256 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 24 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 | 6 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2003 | 15 ha | 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2004 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2006 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2007 | 18 ha | 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2008 | 13 ha | 2 ha | 15 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | 6 ha | 15 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 21 ha | 2 ha | 24 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2016 | 18 ha | 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2017 | 10 ha | 3 ha | 12 ha |
| 2018 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2019 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2020 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2024 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 14 ha | 4 ha | 18 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Tsukuba?
- Towns and roadscleared for good86% · 256 ha
- Loggingcan grow back6.9% · 21 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown6.5% · 19 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
- 5,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,830 ha
- Overall change
- −636 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tsukuba shrank from about 5,470 hectares to 4,830 hectares, a net loss of about 636 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 107 hectares, but 742 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 Tsukuba
What is the air quality (AQI) in Tsukuba right now?
The latest reading for Tsukuba shows an AQI of 62 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by the つくば市研究学園 Tsukuba, Kenkyuugakuen ground monitoring station, 4.5 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 Tsukuba today?
At AQI 62 (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 Tsukuba been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tsukuba's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 21 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Tsukuba lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tsukuba has lost about 296 hectares of forest (about 420 football pitches): 6.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tsukuba shrank from about 5,470 hectares to 4,830 hectares, a net loss of about 636 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 107 hectares, but 742 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Tsukuba?
Tsukuba has an estimated 70,372 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 22.4% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Tsukuba need?
Tsukuba needs roughly 23,876 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 525.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Tsukuba's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near 1 Chome Azuma, 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 1 Chome Azuma; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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