Multi-decade changes in pollen season onset, duration, and intensity: A concern for public health?

Glick, Sarah; Gehrig, Regula; Eeftens, Marloes

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146382

Cited by 45 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…But this is probably partly due to the fact that some species such as alder and birch are already well-established in this Northern region. Some recent studies from Central Europe (34,36) also showed increases in pollen load and advances in the start of the season for Betulaceae species, which seem to be driven by climate change. Another, multi-site study performed in the Northern hemisphere (35) showed that the impact of temperature on the increase in pollen concentrations, in terms of intensity and duration, appears to be global and independent of latitude.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Long-Term Pollen Monitoring in the Benelux: Evaluation of Allergenic Pollen Levels and Temporal Variations of Pollen Seasons

Weger¹,

Bruffaerts²,

Koenders³

et al. 2021

Front. Allergy

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Airborne pollen is a major cause of allergic rhinitis, affecting between 10 and 30% of the population in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Benelux). Allergenic pollen is produced by wind pollinating plants and released in relatively low to massive amounts. Current climate changes, in combination with increasing urbanization, are likely to affect the presence of airborne allergenic pollen with respect to exposure intensity, timing as well as duration. Detailed analysis of long-term temporal trends at supranational scale may provide more comprehensive insight into these phenomena. To this end, the Spearman correlation was used to statistically compare the temporal trends in airborne pollen concentration monitored at the aerobiological stations which gathered the longest time-series (30–44 years) in the Benelux with a focus on the allergenic pollen taxa: Alnus, Corylus, Betula, Fraxinus, Quercus, Platanus, Poaceae, and Artemisia. Most arboreal species showed an overall trend toward an increase in the annual pollen integral and peak values and an overall trend toward an earlier start and end of the pollen season, which for Betula resulted in a significant decrease in season length. For the herbaceous species (Poaceae and Artemisia), the annual pollen integral and peak values showed a decreasing trend. The season timing of Poaceae showed a trend toward earlier starts and longer seasons in all locations. In all, these results show that temporal variations in pollen levels almost always follow a common trend in the Benelux, suggesting a similar force of climate change-driven factors, especially for Betula where a clear positive correlation was found between changes in temperature and pollen release over time. However, some trends were more local-specific indicating the influence of other environmental factors, e.g., the increasing urbanization in the surroundings of these monitoring locations. The dynamics in the observed trends can impact allergic patients by increasing the severity of symptoms, upsetting the habit of timing of the season, complicating diagnosis due to overlapping pollen seasons and the emergence of new symptoms due allergens that were weak at first.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Long-Term Pollen Monitoring in the Benelux: Evaluation of Allergenic Pollen Levels and Temporal Variations of Pollen Seasons

Weger¹,

Bruffaerts²,

Koenders³

et al. 2021

Front. Allergy

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“…We applied eight different pollen season definitions (Table 1), knowing that they will show differing results for trend detections, as the recent study of 31 years of pollen trends in Switzerland Last day of 11-day period when moving average pollen concentration is ≥5 pollen/m 3 (51) shows (46). We applied two percentage methods, which are commonly used in aerobiological trend studies: "perc95" (2.5-97.5% of APIn) and "perc90" (5-95% of APIn) (56,57).…”

Section: Selection Of Pollen Taxa and Pollen Season Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

50 Years of Pollen Monitoring in Basel (Switzerland) Demonstrate the Influence of Climate Change on Airborne Pollen

Gehrig

Clot

2021

Front.Allergy

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Climate change and human impact on vegetation modify the timing and the intensity of the pollen season. The 50 years of pollen monitoring in Basel, Switzerland provide a unique opportunity to study long-term changes in pollen data. Since 1969, pollen monitoring has been carried out in Basel with a Hirst-type pollen trap. Pollen season parameters for start dates, end dates and duration were calculated with different pollen season definitions, which are commonly used in aerobiology. Intensity was analyzed by the annual pollen integral (APIn), peak value and the number of days above specific thresholds. Linear trends were calculated with the non-parametric Mann Kendall method with a Theil-Sen linear trend slope. During the last 50 years, linear increase of the monthly mean temperatures in Basel was 0.95–1.95°C in the 3 winter months, 2–3.7°C in spring months and 2.75–3.85°C in summer months. Due to this temperature increase, the start dates of the pollen season for most of the spring pollen species have advanced, from 7 days for Poaceae to 29 days for Taxus/Cupressaceae. End dates of the pollen season depend on the chosen pollen season definition. Negative trends predominate, i.e., the pollen season mostly ends earlier. Trends in the length of the pollen season depend even more on the season definitions and results are contradictory and often not significant. The intensity of the pollen season of almost all tree pollen taxa increased significantly, while the Poaceae pollen season did not change and the pollen season of herbs decreased, except for Urticaceae pollen. Climate change has a particular impact on the pollen season, but the definitions used for the pollen season parameters are crucial for the calculation of the trends. The most stable results were achieved with threshold definitions that indicate regular occurrence above certain concentrations. Percentage definitions are not recommended for trend studies when the annual pollen integral changed significantly.

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“…Many scientific papers have addressed the effects of climate change on plants known to produce allergenic pollen. Warmer temperatures in many areas of the northern hemisphere have led to earlier spring pollen seasons, increased pollen intensity, and longer pollen seasons along with more suffering among those with pollen allergies and asthma (4,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). However, not all areas and not all plant species have been affected by climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aeroallergens and Climate Change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-Term Trends in the South Central United States

Levetin

2021

Front. Allergy

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Climate change is having a significant effect on many allergenic plants resulting in increased pollen production and shifts in plant phenology. Although these effects have been well-studied in some areas of the world, few studies have focused on long-term changes in allergenic pollen in the South Central United States. This study examined airborne pollen, temperature, and precipitation in Tulsa, Oklahoma over 25 to 34 years. Pollen was monitored with a Hirst-type spore trap on the roof of a building at the University of Tulsa and meteorology data were obtained from the National Weather Service. Changes in total pollen intensity were examined along with detailed analyses of the eight most abundant pollen types in the Tulsa atmosphere. In addition to pollen intensity, changes in pollen season start date, end date, peak date and season duration were also analyzed. Results show a trend to increasing temperatures with a significant increase in annual maximum temperature. There was a non-significant trend toward increasing total pollen and a significant increase in tree pollen over time. Several individual taxa showed significant increases in pollen intensity over the study period including spring Cupressaceae and Quercus pollen, while Ambrosia pollen showed a significant decrease. Data from the current study also indicated that the pollen season started earlier for spring pollinating trees and Poaceae. Significant correlations with preseason temperature may explain the earlier pollen season start dates along with a trend toward increasing March temperatures. More research is needed to understand the global impact of climate change on allergenic species, especially from other regions that have not been studied.

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Multi-decade changes in pollen season onset, duration, and intensity: A concern for public health?

Cited by 45 publications

References 47 publications

Long-Term Pollen Monitoring in the Benelux: Evaluation of Allergenic Pollen Levels and Temporal Variations of Pollen Seasons

Long-Term Pollen Monitoring in the Benelux: Evaluation of Allergenic Pollen Levels and Temporal Variations of Pollen Seasons

50 Years of Pollen Monitoring in Basel (Switzerland) Demonstrate the Influence of Climate Change on Airborne Pollen

Aeroallergens and Climate Change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-Term Trends in the South Central United States

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