Increase In Pollen Concentration Research Articles

The late flowering of invasive species contributes to the increase of Artemisia allergenic pollen in autumn: an analysis of 25\xa0years of aerobiological data (1995\u20132019) in Trentino-Alto Adige (Northern Italy)

Artemisia pollen is an important aeroallergen in late summer, especially in central and eastern Europe where distinct anemophilous Artemisia spp. produce high amounts of pollen grains. The study aims at: (i) analyzing the temporal pattern of and changes in the Artemisia spp. pollen season; (ii) identifying the Artemisia species responsible for the local airborne pollen load.Daily pollen concentration of Artemisia spp. was analyzed at two sites (BZ and SM) in Trentino-Alto Adige, North Italy, from 1995 to 2019.The analysis of airborne Artemisia pollen concentrations evidences the presence of a bimodal curve, with two peaks, in August and September, respectively. The magnitude of peak concentrations varies across the studied time span for both sites: the maximum concentration at the September peak increases significantly for both the BZ (p < 0.05) and SM (p < 0.001) site. The first peak in the pollen calendar is attributable to native Artemisia species, with A. vulgaris as the most abundant; the second peak is mostly represented by the invasive species A. annua and A. verlotiorum (in constant proportion along the years), which are causing a considerable increase in pollen concentration in the late pollen season in recent years.. The spread of these species can affect human health, increasing the length and severity of allergenic pollen exposure in autumn, as well as plant biodiversity in both natural and cultivated areas, with negative impacts on, e.g., Natura 2000 protected sites and crops.

Post-glacial lake development and paleoclimate in the central Hudson Bay Lowlands inferred from sediment records

We compile a multi-proxy Holocene record from North Raft Lake located in the sub-Arctic Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. Specifically, we use subfossil chironomid, diatom, and pollen assemblages, non-pollen palynomorphs, sedimentary chlorophyll a, magnetic susceptibility, and organic matter content to characterize terrestrial and lake processes and to track paleoclimate following land emergence from the postglacial Tyrrell Sea. Following recession of the Tyrrell Sea (~ 6600 cal yr BP), pollen assemblages are indicative of a salt marsh environment with the establishment of an opportunistic chironomid assemblage. By ~ 6200 cal yr BP, isostatic uplift reduced the marine influence and pollen and palynomorph assemblage changes indicate that North Raft Lake became a closed-basin freshwater system. At this time, pollen assemblages signify the establishment of a forested peatland dominated by Picea, and chironomid taxa indicate warming water temperatures. The North Raft Lake pollen/palynomorph record captures a warm and moist mid-Holocene (Holocene Thermal Maximum) period starting ~ 6200 cal yr BP. During this period, an increase in pollen concentration and a shift to higher abundances of Larix indicate watershed-scale succession and enhanced local ecosystem productivity. Shifts in chironomid taxa at ~ 5000 cal yr BP are indicative of abrupt limnological changes suggesting wet conditions that caused an expansion of littoral habitat. The gradual transition into Neoglacial cooling is signaled by an increase in the abundances of cold-stenothermal chironomid taxa and a small decline in pollen-reconstructed temperatures. Marked changes occur in the mid-twentieth century with the appearance of diatoms in notable abundances for the first time in the lake’s sedimentary record, the arrival of new chironomid littoral taxa, and unprecedented increases in sedimentary chlorophyll a and organic matter content. Throughout the North Raft Lake Holocene sediment record, the pollen trends suggest slow centennial-scale changes in temperature and precipitation, whereas chironomid assemblages indicate abrupt mid-Holocene and twentieth century limnological changes, stressing that biota in lakes of the Hudson Bay Lowlands may change substantially under future scenarios of global climate warming.

Interactive effects of specific fine particulate matter compositions and airborne pollen on frequency of clinic visits for pollinosis in Fukuoka, Japan

BackgroundPrevious studies have revealed the interactive effects of airborne pollen and particulate matter on the daily consultations for pollinosis, but it is uncertain which compositions are responsible. This study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of specific PM2.5 compositions and airborne pollen on the daily number of clinic visits for pollinosis in Fukuoka. MethodsWe obtained daily data on pollen concentrations, PM2.5 compositions, PM2.5 mass, gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO, and O3), and weather variables monitored in Fukuoka between February and April, 2002–2012. In total, 73,995 clinic visits for pollinosis were made at 10 clinics in Fukuoka Prefecture during the study period. A time-stratified case-crossover design was applied to examine the interactive effects. The concentrations of PM2.5 and its compositions were stratified into low (<15th percentile), moderate (15th–85th percentile), and high (>85th percentile) levels, and the association between airborne pollen and daily clinic visits for pollinosis was analyzed within each level. ResultsWe found a significant interaction between specific PM2.5 compositions and airborne pollen. Specifically, the odds ratio of daily clinic visits for pollinosis per interquartile increase in pollen concentration (39.8 grains/cm2) at the average cumulative lag of 0 and 2 days during high levels of non-sea-salt Ca2+ was 1.446 (95% CI: 1.323–1.581), compared to 1.075 (95% CI: 1.067–1.083) when only moderate levels were observed. This result remained significant when other air pollutants were incorporated into the model and was fairly persistent even when different percentile cut-off points were used. A similar interaction was found when we stratified the data according to non-sea-salt SO42- levels. This finding differed from estimates made according to PM2.5 and NO3- levels, which predicted that the effects of pollen were strongest in the lower levels. ConclusionsAssociations between airborne pollen and daily clinic visits for pollinosis could be enhanced by high levels of specific PM2.5 compositions, especially non-sea-salt Ca2+.

Atmospheric pollen count in North Delhi region

Introduction: Airborne pollen data varies from place to place due to floristic diversities in a geographical region. In Delhi, a variety of trees, weeds, and grasses produce a variety of pollens, and climatic conditions are also known to affects the pollen concentration. Aim: This study was designed to describe the prevalence of pollen in North Delhi region during the year 2013-2014. Materials and Methods: Atmospheric pollen was collected on daily bases by using Volumetric Burkard (UK) 24 h air sampler with the speed of 10 L/min airflow. Pollen was counted with light microscopy (Olympus, Japan) and the average monthly pollen count was studied from May, 2013 to April 2014. Results: A total of 42,232 pollens were collected for 1-year (2013-2014). The maximum and minimum pollen was counted for year 2013 in the month of September (4805 pollens) and December, (1973 pollens), respectively. The average pollen concentration started increasing in the year 2013 from the months of May to June (239.33, 279.38 pollen/m 3 /month) and started falling in 2013 in months of July to August (227.47, 148.60 pollens/m 3 /month). The pollen concentration again started increasing in year 2013 in the months of September, October and November (282.65, 275.73, and 245.44 pollens/m 3 /months) and started declining in December 2013 till the months of next year 2014 January, February, (131.53, 133.82, 139.56 pollens/m 3 /months). An increase in pollen concentration was noted in 2014 in the months of March and April (274.31, 263.75 pollens/m 3 /month). The humidity correlated significantly with the average pollen count in the year 2013 in June ( P = 0.025, r = −0.556), July ( P = 0.00, r = −0.848), August ( P = 0.033, r = −0.552), September ( P = 0.007, r = −0.627) and October ( P = 0.001, r = −0.755). The average temperature correlated significantly with the average pollen count in 2013 October ( P = 0.042, r = −0.530). Conclusion: The current study provides a preliminary data of pollen count in North Delhi region. The results will provide information to the allergy practitioners in order to advice avoidance of exposure to allergens.

Airborne pollen levels and drug consumption for seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: a 10-year study in France.

Few time-series studies, and none lasting longer than 4 years, have investigated the etiology of treated seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR) on the basis of anti-allergic medication prescriptions. The aim of this article was to study the short-term relationship between pollen exposure and drug-treated SAR over 10 years in an urban area in central France. A SAR case was defined as the association between an oral antihistamine and a local anti-allergic drug on the same prescription. The relationship between daily changes in pollen concentrations and daily changes in the number of treated SAR cases was analysed using generalized additive models, taking into account confounding factors such as air pollution, weather and days of the week. Between 2003 and 2012, the total yearly number of treated SAR cases rose from 7265 to 11 315. The relative risk of treated SAR associated with an interquartile increase in pollen concentration increased significantly for Fraxinus, Betula, Carpinus, Platanus, Poaceae and Urticaceae for the whole pollen season, and for Urticaceae in the first semester. The prevalence of treated SAR cases rose by about 55% in 10 years. The study not only confirmed the highly allergenic role of Fraxinus, Betula and Poaceae pollens but also showed a relatively unknown association between treated SAR and Carpinus and Platanus pollens, despite their pollen counts being <1% of overall pollen concentration. It also showed robust correlations with Urticaceae pollens, especially during the first semester, suggesting a potential allergenic role of Parietaria pollination in this non-Mediterranean area.

Atmospheric conditions during high ragweed pollen concentrations in Zagreb, Croatia

We examined the atmospheric conditions favourable to the occurrence of maximum concentrations of ragweed pollen with an extremely high risk of producing allergy. Over the 2002-2009 period, daily pollen data collected in Zagreb were used to identify two periods of high pollen concentration (> 600 grains/m(3)) for our analysis: period A (3-4 September 2002) and period B (6-7 September 2003). Synoptic conditions in both periods were very similar: Croatia was under the influence of a lower sector high pressure system moving slowly eastward over Eastern Europe. During the 2002-2009 period, this type of weather pattern (on ~ 70% of days), in conjunction with almost non-gradient surface pressure conditions in the area (on ~ 30% of days) characterised days when the daily pollen concentrations were higher than 400 grains/m(3). Numerical experiments using a mesoscale model at fine resolution showed successful multi-day simulations reproducing the local topographic influence on wind flow and in reasonable agreement with available observations. According to the model, the relatively weak synoptic flow (predominantly from the eastern direction) allowed local thermal circulations to develop over Zagreb during both high pollen episodes. Two-hour pollen concentrations and 48-h back-trajectories indicated that regional-range transport of pollen grains from the central Pannonian Plain was the cause of the high pollen concentrations during period A. During period B, the north-westward regional-range transport in Zagreb was supplemented significantly by pronounced horizontal recirculation of pollen grains. This recirculation happened within the diurnal local circulation over the city, causing a late-evening increase in pollen concentration.

Short-term effect of pollen exposure on antiallergic drug consumption

Several studies have investigated the association between pollen exposure and asthma emergency admissions, but only 2 have investigated the effect of airborne allergens on consultations for rhinitis or conjunctivitis and none has used drug consumption as the health indicator. To analyze the short-term association between pollen exposure and antiallergic drug consumption in the urban area of Clermont-Ferrand, France, taking into account the potentially confounding effect of air pollution and meteorological factors. We used the French health insurance database to select all individuals from the Clermont-Ferrand urban area having benefited from reimbursement for antiallergic treatment from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2001, and from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2004. An episode of treated allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitus, or conjunctivitis (ARC) was defined as the association of an oral antihistamine and a local antiallergic drug on the same prescription. The relations between daily changes in pollen concentrations and daily changes in the number of treated ARC cases were analyzed using a Poisson regression model with penalized spline functions. The risk of treated ARC associated with an interquartile increase in pollen concentration increased significantly for Poaceae (5%, P < .001), Fraxinus (7%, P < .001), Betula (7%, P < .001), and Corylus (2%, P < .02). This increase was significant in all age groups for Poaceae and Fraxinus pollen and in people younger than 65 years for Betula pollen. The effect was mainly concentrated on the present day, except for Poaceae pollens, for which the risk remained significantly (P < .001) increased until 3 days lag time. This study showed a significant increase in treated ARC cases related to Poaceae, Fraxinus, and Betula. Specific risks are difficult to evaluate for species that share the same pollination period. Time-series studies based on drug consumption are useful to highlight and to supervise pollen-related diseases requiring ambulatory care.

Late Holocene paleoenvironmental change in a Great Lakes coastal wetland: integrating pollen and diatom datasets

Multiple proxy indicators are regularly used to present robust arguments for paleoenvironmental change. We use fossil pollen and diatoms from a 495-cm core taken from Cootes Paradise, a coastal wetland in the western end of Lake Ontario, to investigate ecological changes in the late Holocene. We use consensus analysis to demonstrate that pollen diagrams are best zoned after the data have been split into source area, in this case upland and wetland taxa, because each group responds differently to environmental change. We also use consensus analysis to demonstrate the sensitivity of clustering to the distance measure used. The record begins at 2400 14C years BP, when the wetland was dominated by shallow water emergents and epiphytic diatoms. At 2100 14C years BP, a decline in the epiphytic diatoms Epithemia spp., a rise in Poaceae (cf. Zizania aquatica) pollen and a coincident increase in pollen concentration suggest a water level rise at this time. At about 800 14C years BP, the diatom record shows a pulse in small benthic Fragilaria species; shortly after, a shift occurs in the upland tree pollen spectra involving an increase in Pinus and a decline in Fagus. This shift in upland forest trees has been associated elsewhere with the Little Ice Age and the diatom data present some evidence for impacts of this climatic event on aquatic systems. The diatom and pollen records both indicate large changes associated with the effects of European settlement, including rises in Ambrosia as well as Typha angustifolia pollen. Planktonic diatoms dominate post-settlement assemblages indicating large-scale hydrological and ecological changes, probably associated with the introduction of carp and alterations to the Iroquois bar which separates the wetland from Lake Ontario. Our work at Cootes Paradise is important for multi-proxy coastal wetland studies in general, in addition to the late Holocene environmental history and prehistory of the Great Lakes region.

The effect of weather on the concentration of pollen within sugar‐beet seed crops

SUMMARYThe concentration of pollen in the air within diploid open‐pollinated sugar‐beet seed crops at Broom's Barn Experimental Station increased between 05.00 and 09.00 G.M.T. as relative humidity became less than 90%, was greatest between 09.00 and 11.00, when relative humidity was c. 75%, and gradually decreased towards evening. The average pollen concentration during 24 h periods ranged from 170 to 12400/m3 being greatest on fine, windy, dry days after periods of cooler weather. Rain during the morning washed pollen out of the air and damaged developing anthers, but rain in the late afternoon following a sunny morning seemed hardly to affect the pollen catch, while rain at night sometimes caused an immediate temporary increase in pollen concentration. Most pollen was released between 27 June and 31 July in all years (1965‐7); more in the first than in the second half of July. 1965 was cool and damp, 1967 warm and dry, 1966 warm and dry early, and cool and wet late. The total pollen catch in 1965 was 83% and in 1966 31% of that in 1967 but the percentage germination of seed harvested in the 3 years was similar.The total pollen catch on a trap 230 m east of the 1965 crop was c. 1% of the catch within the crop on days with gusty westerly winds and the catch on a trap c. 46 cm above the 1966 crop averaged 78.6% of that at the level of most flowers.