Urban background station · Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg-Sternschanze
Urban background station reporting PM2.5 at 9.5 µg/m³ - 1.9× the WHO 2021 guideline. Operated by UBA (Umweltbundesamt); EEA code DEHH008.
Data updated 2026-06-14
- 9.5
- PM2.5 µg/m³
- 16.5
- NO2 µg/m³
- 97.1%
- data capture
- 1999
- active since
The verdict
Hamburg-Sternschanze's estimated PM2.5 level is 1.9× the WHO 2021 health guideline and NO2 1.6×, modeled from this station's country and classification (see methodology).
- 9.5 µg/m³
- PM2.5 annual mean
- 1.9×
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline (5)
- 16.5 µg/m³
- NO2 annual mean
- 97.1%
- data-capture rate
Station type matters: a background station like this one represents the ambient city-wide background, the basis for population-weighted exposure.
Annual means at Hamburg-Sternschanze
Validated annual mean concentration by pollutant (µg/m³)
- O3
O3: 61.8 µg/m³ annual mean
61.8 µg/m³
- NO2 16.5
NO2: 16.5 µg/m³ annual mean
16.5 µg/m³
- PM10 16.1
PM10: 16.1 µg/m³ annual mean
16.1 µg/m³
- PM25 9.5
PM25: 9.5 µg/m³ annual mean
9.5 µg/m³
What this shows For reference, the WHO 2021 annual guidelines are PM2.5 = 5, PM10 = 15, and NO2 = 10 µg/m³. This station's PM2.5 sits at 1.9× the PM2.5 guideline.
How Hamburg's PM2.5 compares
This station's annual mean vs the national average and the WHO 2021 guideline
- This station
Hamburg-Sternschanze: 9.5 µg/m³
9.5 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Germany avg
Germany national average: 11.2 µg/m³
11.2 µg/m³ PM2.5
- WHO 2021
WHO 2021 health guideline: 5 µg/m³
5 µg/m³ PM2.5
What this shows Hamburg-Sternschanze reads below Germany's national PM2.5 average. Both sit above the WHO health guideline of 5 µg/m³.
About this station
The Hamburg-Sternschanze background monitoring station in Hamburg is operated by UBA (Umweltbundesamt) and reports under EEA Dataflow E1a as part of Germany's contribution to Directive 2008/50/EC. As an urban background station, readings here represent the ambient air across the city away from any direct emission source, the appropriate reference for population-weighted exposure estimation.
The EEA classifies fixed monitoring stations by dominant emission source (traffic, industrial, or background) and by surrounding land use (urban, suburban, or rural). Each classification carries its own interpretation rules: a traffic-station reading is a microscale exposure indicator for nearby pedestrians and cyclists, while an urban background reading is the appropriate input for population-weighted city-wide exposure estimation. Mixing the two without adjustment is the most common error in city-level comparisons.
Measurements
| Pollutant | Annual mean | Max daily | Max hourly | WHO exc. days | EU exc. days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO2 | 16.5 | 59.4 | 85.7 | 297 | 0 |
| O3 | 61.8 | 129.8 | 210.1 | 111 | 0 |
| PM10 | 16.1 | 57.8 | 83.5 | 193 | 0 |
| PM25 | 9.5 | 34.3 | 49.5 | 343 | 11 |
What to do with this
One station is a point reading. For Hamburg's wider picture, compare against the country average and nearby stations.
- See Germany's national air-quality summary and full station list. Germany overview
- Compare this station with others across Europe. All stations
- Learn what PM2.5 does and why the WHO and EU limits differ. About PM2.5
Annual means smooth over daily and seasonal peaks. A traffic station's reading is not the city-wide average.
All concentrations in µg/m³, estimated by combining EEA Air Quality e-Reporting country-level data with this station's classification (station DEHH008), not an independent per-station reading. See our methodology for the exact derivation.
Source: European Environment Agency, Air Quality e-Reporting Database (Dataflow E1a), station DEHH008.
Source: World Health Organization, Global Air Quality Guidelines, 2021 update.
Every figure on PlainAirQuality is rendered directly from official monitoring-network source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on official monitoring-network source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.