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

Abstract

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.

Phenological variations of anemophilous species in an Atlantic-influenced Mediterranean environment: a long term study

“…Consequently, the most representative herbaceous taxa in the Huelva area show a trend towards a decrease in the total amount of pollen, although (with the exception of Urticaceae) not significant. This general trend for herbaceous taxa has been found in other studies (Bruffaerts et al 2018;Hoebeke et al 2018;Rojo et al 2021), although not always with significant results (Levetin, 2021) and frequently depending on the study area and the taxa (Makra et al 2011;Ruiz-Valenzuela & Aguilera, 2018;Gehrig & Clot, 2021), as is the case of a study carried out in Greece, in which the trend for all herbaceous taxa was towards an increase (Damialis et al 2007).…”

Analysis of the annual pollen integral in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shows a negative trend with temperatures for Juniper, Cottonwood, Elm, and Mulberry

“…Meteorological conditions of the current season show comparatively weaker correlations with APIn. These results are unique to Albuquerque, New Mexico, since many studies show a positive correlation with pollen and temperature (Levetin, 2021;Ziska et al, 2019).…”

“…Thus, the total APIn seems to decrease as T MIN and T MAX increase in Albuquerque. This is unusual since many other studies (e.g., Levetin, 2021) observe an increase in pollen in the Southeast USA where maximum temperatures have been increasing.…”

“…Preseason meteorological variables have been proven to be important for pollen maturation and release in many spring-pollinating tree species as warmer winters were linked to earlier pollen seasons. The extensive study of Juniper in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is close to New Mexico by Levetin (2021), mentions that more work needs to be devoted to investigating the influence of preseason meteorology on Cupressaceae to help build forecasting models. Cariñanos et al (2004), calculated Spearman's correlation between the daily concentrations of the eight most representative pollen taxa in the atmosphere above Chirivel, Spain, and daily values of average temperature and precipitation during the 6-year period of study.…”

“…Most recently, Levetin (2021) examined airborne pollen, temperature and precipitation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is close to New Mexico, for the eight most abundant pollen types. The results showed a significant increase in annual maximum temperature for the studied period with a nonsignificant trend toward increasing total pollen and a significant increase in tree pollen over time.…”