Elm pollen concentrations in the atmospheric air of selected Polish cities in 2022

Abstract

The elm (Ulmus sp.) is one of the early spring flowering trees. The aim of the study was to compare the elm pollen season in selected Polish cities in 2022. The aeropalynological measurements were carried out with the volumetric method. The study was focused on determination of the total daily pollen grain concentrations during the season, the beginning and end of the pollen season (determined using the 95% method), the peak pollen concentrations, and the dates with maximum pollen concentrations. The earliest onset of the elm pollen season was noted in Sosnowiec (March 9th). In turn, the latest onset was recorded in Lublin (March 23th). The pollen season lasted from 18 days (in Cracow) to 37 days (in Sosnowiec). The highest total daily pollen grain concentrations and the highest maximum concentration were recorded in Cracow (1202 and 321 P/m3, respectively), whereas the lowest values of these parameters were noted in Bialystok (72 and 9 P/m3, respectively). In most of the analyzed cities, the peak pollen concentration was recorded between March 25th and 29th.