Variations in birch (Betula spp.) pollen seasons in Lublin and correlations with meteorological factors in the period 2001-2010. A preliminary study

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.

Keywords

• Betula pollen season
• meteorological factors
• Spearman's correlations