An old dog with yet another trick: an automated, wet- or dry-deposition Tauber trap

Abstract

Automated pollen traps, with the ability to open and close on a timer, are of great benefit in collecting modern pollen rain samples at high frequency in remote or difficult to access study sites. This short communication introduces and discusses the design of a new, automated, wet- or dry-deposition Tauber-style pollen trap. This trap improves upon existing designs by internalizing all moving parts and utilizing more durable materials. Test results show that these improvements not only increase the versatility of the trap, by allowing for collection via wet- or dry-deposition, but greatly reduce the likelihood of damage or failure from strong winds or rime/snow accumulation.