Abstract
In Poland birch belongs to the most important taxa producing allergenic pollen, therefore information on the start dates, duration and severity of the pollen season is very important for allergists and their patients as well as for climatologists. Birch pollen monitoring was conducted in Lublin using the volumetric method during the period 2001-2010. A Lanzoni VPPS 2000 trap was placed at a height of 18 m in the city centre. The pollen season was determined using three methods: 98%, 95%, and 90%. The present study also investigated correlations between the birch pollen season parameters and meteorological factors. A comparison of the above-mentioned methods shows that, in the conditions prevailing in Lublin, the most appropriate method to determine the birch pollen season is the 98% method, since in the case of the two other methods too large quantities of pollen grains are eliminated. Based on a comparative analysis of the meteorological data from the study period and the long-term averages, it can be concluded that in the recent years a clear increase in air temperature has been recorded in Lublin. The study found a statistically significant negative correlation of seasonal pollen concentration with rainfall and air humidity. When the pre-peak and post-peak periods were separated, these correlations were larger and related to different meteorological factors. The start of the pollen season was negatively correlated with temperature in February and March. The season duration depended on temperature (a positive correlation). The date of the seasonal maximum was positively correlated with seasonal temperature and negatively with temperature in April.
Highlights
Plants definitely improve the quality of life in a city
In the pre-peak period, pollen concentration was positively correlated with mean, minimum, and maximum air temperature, while it was negatively correlated with humidity and cloud cover
In Lublin we found a significant influence of relative air humidity on pollen concentration, whereas temperature, in particular maximum temperature, was correlated in Lublin with pollen concentration during the pre-peak period
Summary
Plants definitely improve the quality of life in a city. They remove from the atmosphere gas pollution from human activity, modify temperature, reduce insolation and noise, increase air humidity, reduce the wind, and neutralize radioactive radiation (Chiesura , 2004). It has been proven that hospital patients with a view of greenery recover more quickly (Ulrich , 1984). A positive influence on human health is attributed to birch. The vicinity of birch trees has a beneficial effect on human organism, since trees emanate healing energy. Birch leaves as well as twigs and bark are used in herbal medicine; the sap collected in the spring from tapped trees has therapeutic activity (Uryga , 2002).
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