Types of Artemisia pollen season depending on the weather conditions in Wrocław (Poland), 2002–2011

Abstract

The aim of the study was to characterise Artemisia pollen season types according to weather conditions in Wrocław (south-western Poland) in the years 2002–2011. Over the period analysed, the start date of the pollen season (determined by the 95 % method) ranged from 10 July 2002 to 28 July 2010. The start date of the pollen season can be determined by using Crop Heat Units (CHUs). During the period 2002–2011, the Artemisia pollen season started after the cumulative value of CHUs had reached 2,000–2,100 °C. The three distinguished types of Artemisia pollen season are best described by the frequency of weather types defined by the type of circulation, mean daily air temperature, and the occurrence of rain. The variation in these factors affected the dynamics of the pollen season. The noteworthy frequency of days with rain and high seasonal sum of precipitation totals as well as the dominance of cyclonic weather from the westerly direction had an impact on the extension of the pollen season. The meteorological factors that directly affect pollen release and transport primarily include air humidity, expressed as vapour pressure (r > 0.3, p < 0.01), temperature(r from 0.2 to 0.4, p < 0.01). The relationships between averaged meteorological data and daily pollen concentration were stronger (r > 0.5, p < 0.01). Based on the correlation analysis, the meteorological variables were selected and regression equations were established using stepwise backward regression analysis.

Footprint areas of pollen from alder (Alnus) and birch (Betula) in the UK (Worcester) and Poland (Wrocław) during 2005–2014

“…A similar pattern is seen for Alnus trees [3]. The sites are described in more detail in Skjøth et al [17] and Malkiewicz et al [25]. Microscope slides were prepared using a basic fuchsin stain, according to the standard procedure described in detail by the British Aerobiological Federation and used for more than a decade in European countries such as Denmark [16], United Kingdom [9] and Poland [26,27].…”

“…Pollen grains at Worcester were calculated using a 12 transverses method according to Käpyla and Pentinnen [28] and then daily mean values were calculated. Alnus and Betula pollen were identified in Wrocław using 4 longitudinal transects according to Malkiewicz et al [25]. Both methods satisfy the basic recommendation in aerobiology for the calculation of daily mean concentrations.…”

Statistical modelling of the main features of the Artemisia pollen season in Wrocław, Poland, during the 2002–2011 time period

“…4). In the case of this year, apart from energy resources, rainfall occurring just before the beginning of the Artemisia pollen season had a significant influence (Malkiewicz et al 2013).…”

“…While evaluating the production potential of plants, it may be helpful to make use of agroclimatic indices, which, up to now, have been used mainly to evaluate plant production in agriculture (Brown and Bootsma 1993); yet now, there are attempts to forecast pollen seasons with the help of these indicators (Orlandi et al 2010). Among the most commonly used agroclimatic indicators are the effective sums of air temperature above the thresholds of 5, 10 and 15°C, which give information about plant thermal resources (Dubicka and Głowicki 2000;Żmudzka 2012), CHUs, growing degree days (GDDs), the hydrothermal index (HTI) and the photothermal unit (PTU) (García-Mozo et al 2002;Thavaprakaash et al 2007;OMAFRA 2009;Malkiewicz et al 2013).…”

“…wind speed and direction, air humidity, sunshine duration, structure of the atmospheric boundary layer as well as the impact of terrain conditions and long-range transport (Giner et al 1999;Puc 2006;Laursen et al 2007). Recently, attention has been brought onto the dependency between the type of air circulation and the type of Artemisia pollen season and also the influence of agroclimatic factors (crop heat units (CHUs)) on the beginning of the pollen season (Malkiewicz et al 2013).…”