Aeroallergens and Climate Change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-Term Trends in the South Central United States.

Estelle Levetin

doi:10.3389/falgy.2021.726445

Abstract

Climate change is having a significant effect on many allergenic plants resulting in increased pollen production and shifts in plant phenology. Although these effects have been well-studied in some areas of the world, few studies have focused on long-term changes in allergenic pollen in the South Central United States. This study examined airborne pollen, temperature, and precipitation in Tulsa, Oklahoma over 25 to 34 years. Pollen was monitored with a Hirst-type spore trap on the roof of a building at the University of Tulsa and meteorology data were obtained from the National Weather Service. Changes in total pollen intensity were examined along with detailed analyses of the eight most abundant pollen types in the Tulsa atmosphere. In addition to pollen intensity, changes in pollen season start date, end date, peak date and season duration were also analyzed. Results show a trend to increasing temperatures with a significant increase in annual maximum temperature. There was a non-significant trend toward increasing total pollen and a significant increase in tree pollen over time. Several individual taxa showed significant increases in pollen intensity over the study period including spring Cupressaceae and Quercus pollen, while Ambrosia pollen showed a significant decrease. Data from the current study also indicated that the pollen season started earlier for spring pollinating trees and Poaceae. Significant correlations with preseason temperature may explain the earlier pollen season start dates along with a trend toward increasing March temperatures. More research is needed to understand the global impact of climate change on allergenic species, especially from other regions that have not been studied.

Highlights

Over the past two decades, numerous studies and reviews have shown that increasing atmospheric CO2 levels and global warming have resulted in enhanced plant growth and reproduction as well as changes to plant phenology with earlier flowering and longer growing seasons [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Results of seasonal analyses found that only fall (September through November) T-max had a significant increase over time of 1.64◦C (R2 = 0.129, p = 0.037)
The current study addressed airborne allergenic pollen in the Tulsa, Oklahoma atmosphere over a period of 25 to 34 years

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two decades, numerous studies and reviews have shown that increasing atmospheric CO2 levels and global warming have resulted in enhanced plant growth and reproduction as well as changes to plant phenology with earlier flowering and longer growing seasons [1,2,3,4,5,6]. In addition to effects on late winter and springpollinating plants, studies have shown longer Ambrosia pollen seasons in the fall [15,16,17]. Ziska et al [15] showed that the Ambrosia pollen season in North America lengthened from 1995 to 2009 due to the delay of the first frost in northern areas. This outcome was most evident in Winnipeg and Saskatoon, the two monitoring sites in Canada, where the pollen season was 25 and 27 days longer, respectively. Among the taxa studied have been Ambrosia [18,19,20], Pinus [21], Phleum [22], and Betula [23]

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