Abstract
Birch pollen grains are one of the most important groups of atmospheric biological particles that induce allergic processes. The fluctuation pattern of birch pollen seasons in selected cities of Poland is presented. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni 2000 pollen samplers). The distributions of the data were not normal (Shapiro–Wilk test) and statistical error risk was estimated at a significance level of <em>α</em> = 0.05. Pollen season was defined as the period in which 95% of the annual total catch occurred. The linear trend for the selected features of the pollen season, skewness, kurtosis and coefficient of variation (<em>V</em>%) were also analyzed. During the 12–14 years of study, the beginnings of birch pollen seasons were observed 7–14 days earlier, the ends were noted 5–10 days earlier, and the days with maximum values occurred 7–14 days earlier compared to the long-term data. The left-skewed distribution of the pollen season starts in most sampling sites confirms the short-lasting occurrence of pollen in the air. The threat of birch pollen allergens was high during the pollen seasons. If vegetation is highly diverse, flowering and pollen release are extended in time, spread over different weeks and occur at different times of the day. Flowering time and pollen release are affected by insolation, convection currents, wind, and turbulence. Therefore, pollen seasons are characterized by great inter-annual variability.
Highlights
Birch pollen is the most common cause of allergy in April and May in Northern and Central Europe
The dynamics and duration of pollen seasons as well as the kurtosis, variation coefficient, skewness and totals of pollen grains heavily depend on the geographical location [19], which was confirmed in our study conducted in 8 cities in Poland
The majority of birch pollen grains appear in the air in the first half of the season, whereas seasonal maxima occur one week after the start of the pollen season, on average
Summary
Birch pollen is the most common cause of allergy in April and May in Northern and Central Europe. Betula individuals produce profusely a large number of small oblate pollen grains with smooth surface which can be carried for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers by large air masses [1,2]. Most species of birch grow in natural habitats. Betula pendula and B. pubescens occur most frequently; B. pendula is most often grown in gardens, parks, and streets as an ornamental tree; B. pubescens grows in moist habitats like swamp birch forests. ×oycoviensis) are rare and occur in the south and east of Poland [3,4] The other species (B. humilis, B. nana, B. ×oycoviensis) are rare and occur in the south and east of Poland [3,4]
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