The Pan European Phenology (PEP) project is a European infrastructure to promote and facilitate phenological research, education, and environmental monitoring. The main objective is to maintain and develop a Pan European Phenological database (PEP725) with an open, unrestricted data access for science and education. PEP725 is the successor of the database developed through the COST action 725 "Establishing a European phenological data platform for climatological applications" working as a single access point for European-wide plant phenological data. So far, 32 European meteorological services and project partners from across Europe have joined and supplied data collected by volunteers from 1868 to the present for the PEP725 database. Most of the partners actively provide data on a regular basis. The database presently holds almost 12 million records, about 46 growing stages and 265 plant species (including cultivars), and can be accessed via http://www.pep725.eu/ . Users of the PEP725 database have studied a diversity of topics ranging from climate change impact, plant physiological question, phenological modeling, and remote sensing of vegetation to ecosystem productivity.

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Operational pollen monitoring networks have developed across Europe, and the world more generally, in response to the increasing prevalence of pollen allergy and asthma. Routine pollen observations are in large part currently still based on time-intensive manual techniques developed in the 1950s. These methods suffer from low temporal resolution and long delays in data availability. Recent technological developments are revolutionising the field making real-time high-temporal resolution measurements possible. This paper describes the rationale behind the EUMETNET AutoPollen programme, which aims to develop a prototype automatic pollen monitoring network across Europe. We provide a brief description of the current state-of-the-art, then an overview of new technologies, and finally the main tasks of the AutoPollen programme.

The paper presents the results of long-term phenological observations of silver birch (Betula pendula) during the years 1991-2015 across the phenological network of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI -Český hydrometeorologický ústav). The data assembled over this period were used for identification of timing of generative phenophases associated with pollen release into the air: inflorescence emergence 10%, beginning of flowering 10%, beginning of flowering 50%, beginning of flowering 100%, and end of flowering. The stations are situated at altitudes from 155 m (Doksany) to 1102 m (Modrava). The average timing of beginning of flowering 10% was 8th April (Lednice = lowland station) and 14th May (Modrava = mountain station); the average timing of beginning of flowering 50% was 12th April (Lednice) and 20th May (Modrava); the average timing of beginning of flowering 100% was 18th April (Lednice) and 22nd May (Modrava), and the average timing of end of flowering was 26th April (Lednice) and 28th May (Modrava).The totals of effective temperatures above 5°C (TS5) and sums of daily precipitation were used as a bio-climatological criterion for assessment of the dependence of phenological phases on meteorological variables. The average sums of TS5 and the average sums of daily precipitation total were as follows: 61.0-80.8°C, 82.8-327.4 mm (inflorescence emergence); 105.2-106.4°C, 85.9-365.2 mm (beginning of flowering 10%); 124.8-130.8°C, 89.8-385.9 mm (beginning of flowering 50%); 144.7-158.6°C, 95.2-390.7 mm (beginning of flowering 100%); and 181.6-223.8°C, 104.7-427.4 mm (end of flowering).Synoptic situations occurring during interphase intervals were obtained -the most often found synoptic situations were B (stationary trough over Central Europe), Bp (east travelling trough), NEa (northeast anticyclonic situation), Sa (south anticyclonic situation) and SWc2 (southwest cyclonic situation moving northeast to eastwards).The period of occurrence of birch pollen in the air lasts 52 days on average and the highest concentration was recorded on 23rd April, 2003April, -2606 .

Pollen monitoring has traditionally been carried out using manual methods first developed in the early 1950s. Although this technique has been recently standardised, it suffers from several drawbacks, notably data usually only being available with a delay of 3–9 days and usually delivered at a daily resolution. Several automatic instruments have come on to the market over the past few years, with more new devices also under development. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of all available and developing automatic instruments, how they measure, how they identify airborne pollen, what impacts measurement quality, as well as what potential there is for further advancement in the field of bioaerosol monitoring.