Air mass trajectories and land cover map reveal cereals and oilseed rape as major local sources of Alternaria spores in the Midlands, UK

Abstract

Transport of Alternaria spores from both local agricultural and remote areas has been implicated as a source of these spores in urban areas. The purpose of this study was to understand the relative contribution of local sources versus long distance transport on Alternaria spore concentrations, with applicability to Alternaria and other spore sampling sites worldwide. This was achieved by comparing two spore sampling sites in the cities of Worcester and Leicester in the UK, ~90 km apart, over a three year period (2016-2018) and focusing on a period of time when both sites experienced high spore counts. The study found 61 and 151 days of clinical significance (>100 spores/m3 air) at Worcester and Leicester, respectively. The spore concentrations were considerably higher in Leicester than in Worcester. Analysis of the crop map showed higher amounts of winter barley and oilseed rape near to Leicester compared to Worcester. HYSPLIT modelling during the episode revealed that the air masses arrived at both Leicester and Worcester from Ireland and the Atlantic Ocean. Long distance transport probably had a small but equal contribution to the observations at both sites. HYSPLIT particle dispersion simulations showed that the spores were dispersed and deposited from local sources. The results indicate that substantially higher concentrations of Alternaria spores occur in areas with high amounts of cereals and oilseed rape compared to those with lower amounts, or with different crops.