The Macroecology of Airborne Pollen in Australian and New Zealand Urban Areas

Abstract

The composition and relative abundance of airborne pollen in urban areas of Australia and New Zealand are strongly influenced by geographical location, climate and land use. There is mounting evidence that the diversity and quality of airborne pollen is substantially modified by climate change and land-use yet there are insufficient data to project the future nature of these changes. Our study highlights the need for long-term aerobiological monitoring in Australian and New Zealand urban areas in a systematic, standardised, and sustained way, and provides a framework for targeting the most clinically significant taxa in terms of abundance, allergenic effects and public health burden.

Regional and seasonal variation in airborne grass pollen levels between cities of Australia and New Zealand

“…We assembled daily (24 h) airborne grass pollen concentration data from eight Australian and six NZ urban sites for sampling periods spanning from 1 to 17 years (Table 1; Haberle et al 2014). Pollen counts were performed and converted to grains per cubic meter of air for sites in (from lowest to highest latitude) Darwin (two sites), Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra (two sites) and Hobart over 2, 5, 8, 4 and 3 fiscal years, respectively (Dass 2010; Erbas et al 2007b; Green et al 2004; Katelaris and Burke 2003; Newnham et al 1995; Newnham 1999; Stevenson et al 2007, Tng et al 2010).…”

“…New Zealand’s climate is less diverse, and is similar to southeastern Australia, though generally characterized by cooler temperatures and higher rainfall (Sturman and Tapper 2006). Across these climate gradients, there is distinctive variation in the composition and distribution of vegetation communities and the airborne pollen assemblages they produce (Haberle et al 2014). …”

“…Although available for most capital cities, seasonal grass pollen monitoring in Australia has been poorly coordinated at a national level, with campaigns of variable duration and using a variety of methodologies (Haberle et al 2014). Aerobiological research in NZ has also been limited in geographic coverage and temporal duration.…”

“…We have previously shown that the diversity of pollen recorded from Australian and New Zealand monitoring sites reflects climate, land use and plant introduction (Haberle et al 2014). We have also observed that the timing of the grass pollen season differs between geographic locations and over time (Beggs et al 2015).…”

High Levels of Allergenic Tree Pollen in Southern New Zealand

“…With the exception of the Palmerston North study of pine pollen, none of these papers focused on tree pollen. Recently, a series of publications have reviewed the available information about allergenic pollen levels in Australia and New Zealand and highlighted the emphasis placed to date on grass pollen [12][13][14][15]. As such, little is known about the levels of tree pollen in New Zealand, nor the extent to which such pollens could be contributing to the burden of allergenic rhinitis in New Zealand.…”