Seasonal and intradiurnal variation of airborne pollen concentrations in Bodrum, SW Turkey

AbstractMonitoring of airborne pollen concentrations provides an important source of information for the globally increasing number of hay fever patients. Airborne pollen is traditionally counted under the microscope, but with the latest developments in image recognition methods, automating this process has become feasible. A challenge that persists, however, is that many pollen grains cannot be distinguished beyond the genus or family level using a microscope. Here, we assess the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to increase taxonomic accuracy for airborne pollen. As a case study we use the nettle family (Urticaceae), which contains two main genera (Urtica and Parietaria) common in European landscapes which pollen cannot be separated by trained specialists. While pollen from Urtica species has very low allergenic relevance, pollen from several species of Parietaria is severely allergenic. We collect pollen from both fresh as well as from herbarium specimens and use these without the often used acetolysis step to train the CNN model. The models show that unacetolyzed Urticaceae pollen grains can be distinguished with > 98% accuracy. We then apply our model on before unseen Urticaceae pollen collected from aerobiological samples and show that the genera can be confidently distinguished, despite the more challenging input images that are often overlain by debris. Our method can also be applied to other pollen families in the future and will thus help to make allergenic pollen monitoring more specific.

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Spatial interpolation of current airborne pollen concentrations where no monitoring exists

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.11.045 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 199 ◽

pp. 435-442 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jose Oteros ◽

Karl-Christian Bergmann ◽

Annette Menzel ◽

Athanasios Damialis ◽

Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Interpolation ◽

Airborne Pollen ◽

Pollen Concentrations

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The late flowering of invasive species contributes to the increase of Artemisia allergenic pollen in autumn: an analysis of 25 years of aerobiological data (1995–2019) in Trentino-Alto Adige (Northern Italy)

Aerobiologia ◽

10.1007/s10453-020-09663-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 669-682 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Antonella Cristofori ◽

Edith Bucher ◽

Michele Rossi ◽

Fabiana Cristofolini ◽

Veronika Kofler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Pollen Season ◽

Airborne Pollen ◽

Pollen Grains ◽

Late Summer ◽

Natura 2000 ◽

Allergenic Pollen ◽

Pollen Concentration ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

Negative Impacts

AbstractArtemisia 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.

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Spearman Correlation between the NDVI and Quercus Airborne Pollen in the SW of the Iberian Peninsula

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2201519 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (20) ◽

pp. 1519

Author(s):

Rocío González-Naharro ◽

Elia Quirós ◽

Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez ◽

Inmaculada Silva-Palacios ◽

Rafael Tormo-Molina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Airborne Pollen ◽

Training Data ◽

Oak Trees ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Spearman Test

New space technologies as Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) have been used to display several phenological cycles of ecosystems around the world. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI, associated to oak trees within three training data polygons (15, 25 and 50 km-distance to the volumetric sampler Hirst), and the daily average Quercus airborne pollen concentrations in 20 years. The study was developed in Badajoz (SW Iberian Peninsula) with a continuous pollen recording in the period from 1994 to 2013. The main novelty of this study has been the analysis of the correlation between the two-time series, using Spearman test. Within the 20 studied years, 12 years obtained significant values in the Spearman test in the whole studied area.

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Integrating Phenological, Aerobiological and Weather Data to Study the Local and Regional Flowering Dynamics of Four Grapevine Cultivars

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10020185 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 185

Author(s):

María Fernández-González ◽

Helena Ribeiro ◽

Alba Piña-Rey ◽

Ilda Abreu ◽

F. Javier Rodríguez-Rajo

Keyword(s):

Airborne Pollen ◽

Weather Data ◽

Vitis Vinifera L ◽

Pollen Concentration ◽

Peak Period ◽

Hirst Sampler ◽

Main Pollen Season ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

Integral Spin ◽

Bioclimatic Conditions

Phenological, aerobiological, and weather data are useful tools to study local and regional flowering dynamics in crops with economic importance. The present study focuses on four autochthonous grapevine cultivars, namely, ‘Treixadura’, ‘Godello’, ‘Loureira’, and ‘Albariño’ (Vitis vinifera L.), which belong to the Designation of Origin Ribeiro area (located in northwestern Spain) from 2015–2019. The aims of the work were to (1) compare the airborne pollen concentration in the vineyard collected by two different traps, (2) analyze the influence of the main meteorological variables on cultivar phenology and pollen concentration, and (3) test the contribution of the air masses on pollen concentrations in the vineyard. Phenological development has been assessed twice weekly, according to the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale. Airborne pollen concentrations were monitored by using two traps during stage 6 (flowering), namely, a Hirst volumetric sampler and a Cour passive trap. The bioclimatic conditions affected the duration of flowering, ranging from 11 and 24 days. The highest seasonal pollen integral (SPIn) was registered in 2016 for the Hirst sampler, with 302 pollen, and in 2019 for the Cour trap, with 1,797,765 pollen/m2/day. The main variables affecting pollen concentrations were average temperature during the main pollen season, as well as, temperatures and dew points during the pre-peak period. The relationship between pollen data registered by both traps and the obtained harvest indicate that the Hirst trap may be more suitable for predicting a local production and that the Cour sampler is more appropriate for forecasting regional productions.

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The role of honeybees in pollination of cherries

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9730193 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 13 (61) ◽

pp. 193 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

DF Langridge ◽

RD Goodman

Keyword(s):

Airborne Pollen ◽

Flight Activity ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

Cherry Orchard ◽

Marked Decline

The availability of pollen for fertilization of Moss' Early cherries and its dispersal by wind and by honeybees was studied in the laboratory and in a cherry orchard. Ripening and dehiscence of anthers was promoted by higher temperatures and lower relative humidities. Airborne pollen concentrations in the orchard were greater between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. than during the remainder of the day. Flight activity of bees was related to ambient temperatures and bee visits to cherry flowers were comparable with those for apples. Enclosing trees in beeproof cages caused a marked decline in fruit yields.

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Extension of WRF-Chem for birch pollen modelling—a case study for Poland

International Journal of Biometeorology ◽

10.1007/s00484-020-02045-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Małgorzata Werner ◽

Jakub Guzikowski ◽

Maciej Kryza ◽

Małgorzata Malkiewicz ◽

Daria Bilińska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Chemistry ◽

Airborne Pollen ◽

Birch Pollen ◽

Probability Of Detection ◽

Atmospheric Pollutants ◽

Industrialized Countries ◽

Meteorological Model ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

Heating Degree Days

Abstract In recent years, allergies due to airborne pollen allergens have shown an increasing trend, along with the severity of allergic symptoms in most industrialized countries, while synergism with other common atmospheric pollutants has also been identified as affecting the overall quality of citizenly life. In this study, we propose the state-of-the-art WRF-Chem model, which is a complex Eulerian meteorological model integrated on-line with atmospheric chemistry. We used a combination of the WRF-Chem extended towards birch pollen, and the emission module based on heating degree days, which has not been tested before. The simulations were run for the moderate season in terms of birch pollen concentrations (year 2015) and high season (year 2016) over Central Europe, which were validated against 11 observational stations located in Poland. The results show that there is a big difference in the model’s performance for the two modelled years. In general, the model overestimates birch pollen concentrations for the moderate season and highly underestimates birch pollen concentrations for the year 2016. The model was able to predict birch pollen concentrations for first allergy symptoms (above 20 pollen m−3) as well as for severe symptoms (above 90 pollen m−3) with probability of detection at 0.78 and 0.68 and success ratio at 0.75 and 0.57, respectively for the year 2015. However, the model failed to reproduce these parameters for the year 2016. The results indicate the potential role of correcting the total seasonal pollen emission in improving the model’s performance, especially for specific years in terms of pollen productivity. The application of chemical transport models such as WRF-Chem for pollen modelling provides a great opportunity for simultaneous simulations of chemical air pollution and allergic pollen with one goal, which is a step forward for studying and understanding the co-exposure of these particles in the air.

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Tree Pollen Spectra and Pollen Allergy Risk in the Osijek-Baranja County

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology ◽

10.2478/10004-1254-64-2013-2235 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 115-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Magdalena Sikora ◽

Marina Valek ◽

Zdenka Šušić ◽

Vera Santo ◽

Dario Brdarić

Keyword(s):

Airborne Pollen ◽

Pollen Allergy ◽

Pollen Grains ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Research Information ◽

Tree Pollen ◽

Pollen Concentrations ◽

North Eastern ◽

Measuring Site ◽

Monitoring Stations

The forests of north-eastern Croatia, as well as various plants and trees in the parks and streets of the Osijek-Baranja County, produce large amounts of pollen during the pollen season, which can cause allergy symptoms in pollen sensitive individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the most frequent types of pollen in this area and estimate possible health risks, especially the risk of allergy. In 2009 and 2010, the staff of the Health Ecology Department of the Osijek Public Health Institute monitored tree pollen concentrations in four cities from the Osijek - Baranja County (Osijek, Našice, Đakovo and Beli Manastir) using a Burkard volumetric instrument. The results were affected by weather conditions. Windy and sunny days facilitated the transfer of pollen, whereas during rainy days, the concentration of pollen grains decreased. High pollen concentrations of Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae and Aceraceae could be the cause for symptoms of pollen allergy. In 2009, conifers, birch and poplar pollen were dominant at all monitoring stations with 5000 pollen grains (PG), 3188 PG and 3113 PG respectively. The highest number of pollen grains was recorded at measuring site Osijek. The variations in airborne pollen concentration between pollen seasons were recorded at all monitoring stations. The most obvious variations were recorded at measuring site Osijek. The usual pollination period lasts two to three months, which means that most pollen grains remain present from February to early June. However, the Cupressaceae / Taxaceae pollination periods last the longest and their pollen grains remain present until the end of summer. The risk of allergy was determined at four monitored measuring stations and the obtained data confirmed that the largest number of days with a high health risk was at the Đakovo measuring station for a species of birch. The research information aims to help allergologists and individuals allergic to plant pollen develop preventive measures and proper treatment therapies.

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Airborne pollen concentrations and daily respiratory disease mortality

10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.pa5072 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jouni J.K. Jaakkola ◽

Simo-Pekka Kiihamäki ◽

Simo Näyhä ◽

Niilo R.I. Ryti ◽

Maritta S. Jaakkola

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Disease ◽

Airborne Pollen ◽

Disease Mortality ◽

Pollen Concentrations

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