Abstract
Grass pollen allergy is widespread all around the globe. With an increasing number of people living in cities, the examination of grass pollen levels within cities and their surroundings has increased in importance. The aim of this study was to examine different temporal and spatial scales of grass pollen concentration and deposition across urban and semi-rural environments in the years 2019 and 2020. We installed different types of pollen traps in the city of Ingolstadt (Bavaria, Germany) and its surroundings: volumetric pollen traps at roof level to assess background pollen concentration and gravimetric pollen traps and portable volumetric traps at street level. We considered grass pollen concentration and deposition in the context of land use and management. Our data showed that the grass pollen season in 2020 was longer and more intense than in 2019. Background grass pollen concentration was generally higher at the semi-rural site in both years: peak values were eight times (2019) and more than four times (2020) higher, and Seasonal Pollen Index was more than four times and almost three times higher in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Analyses of spatial variations measured at street level revealed higher numbers for pollen deposition and concentrations at semi-rural than at urban sites. Recorded values were linked to local vegetation and the management of grass areas surrounding the traps. Analyses of diurnal variations at street level in June 2019 showed that pollen concentration for all sites, independent of their degree of urbanization, were highest at noon (22.2 pollen grains/m³ vs. 8.5 pollen grains/m³ in the morning and 10.4 pollen grains/m³ in the evening). Diurnal variations at roof level showed similarities for the same days but differed when considering the whole season. Our data suggest the importance of the management of grass areas as areas cut earlier have a decreased amount of emitted pollen.
Highlights
The most common pollen allergy in Europe and worldwide is grass-induced pollinosis [1,2]
Grass pollen concentration was generally higher at semi-rural station (SRS), as shown by Seasonal Pollen Index (SPIn) (2019: 4071 pollen*day/m3, 2020: 5725 pollen*day/m3 vs. urban station (US) 2019: 933 pollen*day/m3, 2020: 2104 pollen*day/m3) and by peak values and number of high-pollen days
The pollen season ended in August, and the length of the season was almost identical for the US (−3 days in 2020) but 18 days longer in 2020 for the SRS
Summary
The most common pollen allergy in Europe and worldwide is grass-induced pollinosis [1,2]. Poaceae is amongst the most abundant pollen types in Germany [4] and represents the taxa with the longest pollination period [5]. Airborne Poaceae pollen in Germany can be present from mid-March to the end of October, with the main flowering period lasting from late May to mid-July [6]. Pollen allergies might intensify [7,8] and increase and prolong the burden for allergy-affected people. Further and intensified monitoring of airborne grass pollen is crucial. This especially applies to urban areas since more than 50% of the world’s population is living in cities [9]
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