CAMS European air quality forecasts

Base URL

https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/api

Endpoints 7

• GET/catalogue/v1/collectionsAll 16 datasets (EAC4 reanalysis, global forecasts, greenhouse gases, solar radiation, GFAS fire emissions …).
• GET/catalogue/v1/collections/{dataset}One dataset as a STAC collection: licence, extent, DOI, links to form, constraints and costing.
• GET/retrieve/v1/processes/{dataset}Which options the request takes, with all allowed values.
• POST/retrieve/v1/processes/{dataset}/costingComputes how 'big' a request is against the limit ({"cost":2.0,"limit":5000.0}); works without an account.
• POST/retrieve/v1/processes/{dataset}/executionSubmit a request (asynchronous, key required); body {"inputs": {…}}. Response: a job.
• GET/retrieve/v1/jobs/{jobId}Status of your job (accepted, running, successful); then /results with the download link.
• GET/catalogue/v1/collections/{dataset}/messagesNotices about outages or changes of the dataset.

Filtering from the description

No query language: pick values per option (lists) and optionally a rectangle (area). The result is always a file.

Parameters 9

File contents (not downloaded ourselves; per the dataset description) 4

Limits and pitfalls

• Each request has a cost limit of 5,000 (costing). One species, one model, one level, one run and two time steps for the Netherlands costs 2. tested
• Requests run asynchronously in a queue; expect minutes, sometimes longer when busy. from the description
• Not every combination exists: the rel=constraints link in the catalogue record (60 rules) says per date which models, species, levels and hours exist. Per the description only NO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10 and dust are regularly validated against observations. from the description
• The STAC catalogue is descriptive only: /items and /search return 501 ('STAC items is not implemented'). Data always go through processes/execution. tested
• Without accepting the licence on the website a request fails, even with a valid key. from the description
• ?limit= on /collections is ignored: you always get all 16. tested
• The catalogue field cads:sanity_check tells whether the dataset passed its last check (on 16 Oct 2026: down). tested
• Open map images: eccharts.ecmwf.int has a WMS with token=public, but its robots.txt is Disallow: / (not used). experience

Try it HTTP 200 · 564 ms · 16 Oct

https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/api/retrieve/v1/processes/cams-europe-air-quality-forecasts

{
  "title": "CAMS European air quality forecasts",
  "description": "This dataset provides daily air quality analyses and forecasts for Europe. \nCAMS produces specific daily air quality …",
  "id": "cams-europe-air-quality-forecasts",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "jobControlOptions": [
    "async-execute"
  ],
  "outputTransmission": [
    "reference"
  ],
  "links": [
    {
      "href": "https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/api/retrieve/v1/processes/cams-europe-air-quality-forecasts",
      "rel": "self"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/api/retrieve/v1/processes/cams-europe-air-quality-forecasts/execution",
      "rel": "execute",
      "type": "application/json",
      "title": "process execution"
    }
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "variable": {
      "title": "Variable",
      "schema": {
        "type": "array",
        "items": {
          "enum": [
            "alder_pollen",
            "ammonia"
          ],
          "type": "string"
        }
      }
    },
    "model": {
      "title": "Model",
      "schema": {

Shortened response, saved at harvest time. Click the URL for the real, current response.