Types of hazel (Corylus spp.) and alder (Alnus spp.) pollen seasons in Sosnowiec 1997-2007 (Poland)

This paper investigates pollen seasons for Corylus spp. and Alnus spp. for the years 1997-2007 in Sosnowiec, southern Poland. The research was conducted by means of the volumetric method using a Burkard-type spore trap. The duration of pollen seasons was determined by means of the 98% method. The aim of this study was to distinguish the types of the course of hazel and alder pollen seasons using cluster analysis, including non-hierarchical clustering of multi-feature objects - k-means clustering. The pollen seasons were divided into five types because of considerable variations from one year to another. For both taxons one dominant type was found, which was characterized by a very long period of compact pollen release with low values of the pollen count and by the occurrence of several maximums divided by periods of a lower pollen count. This work contains only a preliminary analysis on the types of pollen seasons because of relatively short data set. Future research on a larger series of measurements should be proved

The influence of meteorological factors on the hazel (corylus l.) pollen concentration in Sosnowiec in the years 1997-2007

An analysis of hazel pollen seasons in Sosnowiec was presented on the basis of data from the years 1997-2007. The research was conducted by means of the volumetric method using a Burkard-type spore trap. The duration of pollen seasons was determined by means of the 98% method. The research demonstrated statistically significant correlations between the average, maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity as well as the number of days with sub-zero temperature and the beginning of the hazel pollen season. It was demonstrated that the duration of the pollen season depended on air relative humidity, insolation and precipitation during the season and the annual sum depended on the weather conditions of the year preceding pollen production and also the weather conditions two years earlier. Significant correlations were also found between weather conditions and the daily concentration of pollen grains. The daily concentration decreased when relative humidity was high and increased with high insolation and air temperature

The impact of meteorological conditions on the concentration of alder pollen in Sosnowiec (Poland) in the years 1997-2017

The aim of the work was to compare the alder pollen seasons in the years 1997–2017 in Sosnowiec. The measurements of pollen concentration were taken with the volumetric method using Burkard’s apparatus. The impact of atmospheric conditions on the daily alder pollen grain concentration, the annual totals, and the duration of pollen seasons were studied. The dependency between each meteorological condition and different features of the alder pollen season was determined by using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, variance analysis with multiple comparison tests, and the linear regression model using backward elimination. It was proven that the temperatures directly preceding the pollination, i.e. the January and February temperatures as well as those from the period from 210 to 180 days preceding the beginning of the season, have the greatest impact on the beginning of the alder pollen season. The value of the daily alder pollen concentration in Sosnowiec showed a positive statistically significant correlation with the air temperature and sunshine duration and a negative correlation with the thickness of the snow cover and air relative humidity. The daily concentration also depended on the type of the weather front, direction of air mass inflow, and the type of the inflowing air mass. The season temperatures and the thermal conditions which were present in the summer of the preceding year impacted the annual totals (SPI) of the alder pollen grains

The course of birch pollen seasons in Sosnowiec (Southern Poland) in 1997-2020 in relation to meteorological conditions

The study's main objective was to specify the extent to which weather conditions were related to the course of birch pollen seasons in the years 1997–2020. The impact of atmospheric conditions on the daily concentrations of birch pollen grains, the Annual pollen integral (APIn), and the length of pollen seasons were studied. The dependency between each meteorological condition and various features of the birch pollen season was determined using Spearman’s rho correlation, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and cluster analysis with the k-means method. It has been shown that the duration of sunshine and average air temperature occurring within 14 days preceding the season has the most significant influence on the beginning of a birch pollen season. The value of daily birch pollen concentrations in Sosnowiec showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the duration of sunlight and the average and maximum wind speed. The daily concentration also depended on the synoptic situation: the mass airflow direction, the type of air mass inflow, and the type of weather front. The near-ground temperature influenced the APIn of birch pollen grains during the period of 14 days before the beginning of the season and the meteorological conditions occurring in the summer of the preceding year such as the maximum temperature, duration of sunlight, the maximum and average wind speed, and the relative air humidity. It was concluded that the length of birch pollen seasons decreased year by year

The impact of weather conditions on hazel pollen concentration in Sosnowiec (Poland) in 1997-2019

The goal of this study was to compare hazel pollen seasons in Sosnowiec in 1997–2019 and to analyse the impact of weather conditions on these seasons. The measurements were conducted using a volumetric method with a Burkard spore trap. The duration of pollen seasons was determined using the 98% method. SPI (Seasonal Pollen Index) was calculated as the sum of daily pollen concentrations in a given season. The measurements showed that high temperatures in January and February had an impact on the beginning of the hazel pollen season. They revealed that there are positive correlations with temperatures and sunshine hours long before the season, i.e. 210–180 days before. The daily hazel pollen concentration in Sosnowiec showed a positive and statistically significant correlation with air temperature, sunshine hours, and average and maximum wind speed. Negative correlation was demonstrated for snow cover depth and relative humidity of the air. Daily concentration levels depend also on the type of weather front as well as direction of air mass flow and its type. Variance analysis showed that the highest concentrations of hazel pollen grains were recorded when warm air moves from the south and south– western direction, whereas the lowest ones were noted for air moving from the east, south–east, north and north–east directions. Atmospheric precipitation, snow cover depth, and average, maximum, minimum and near-the-ground temperatures in the season also had an impact on the SPI of hazel pollen grains. High positive correlation coefficients were also observed in the case of thermal conditions, sunshine hours, relative humidity and precipitation from July to September in the year preceding a given pollen season. The duration of the hazel pollen season depends on precipitation, snow cover depth and temperature during a given season

An assessment of the Ambrosia L. pollen threat at a regional scale using the example of the town of Sosnowiec (Silesian Uplands, Poland)

The investigation of Ambrosia pollen counts in the air of Sosnowiec was carried out from 1998 to 2010 by means of the volumetric method. The pollen season which was determined by means of the 98% method started at the end of July and the beginning of August and lasted until the end of October. The highest Ambrosia pollen count was recorded in 1999 (222 grains x m-3) and the lowest in 2001 (18 grains x m-3). It was stated that the daily count of pollen grains depended on the wind direction and maximum air temperature. The strongest correlations were found with maximum temperature and with a wind direction from the south east. A high negative correlation coefficient was found between the frequency of inflows of air masses from the west and the annual total of pollen grains and the value of the maximum daily count. The closest sites of Ambrosia L. are at a distance of 25–40 kilometres from the sampling point. Significant correlations with the frequency of inflow of air masses can support the conclusion that Ambrosia pollen grains recorded in Sosnowiec were most probably carried not only from local sources but also, at least in part, from distant places

Variability in the concentration and composition of pollen grains and atmospheric dusts and their impact on human health in Sosnowiec : [abstract]

Airborne allergy is an important problem in terms of public health, both in Europe and Poland. Symptoms occur in allergic persons every year with varied severity depending on the aeroalergens concentration in the air. Increased number of airborne allergies was stated in urbanized areas, which is associated with higher air pollution. Environmental pollution has a significant impact on the growth of allergic diseases. Organic and inorganic substances, motor exhaust fumes accumulate on the surface of pollen grains and are inhaled with them (Fragment tekstu)

Alder pollen season in selected cities of Poland in 2020

This paper presents the course of alder pollination season in Poland in 2020. The measurements were performed in Bydgoszcz, Bialystok, Lublin, Olsztyn, Opole, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora. Volumetric method with the use of Volumetric Spore Trap (Burkard, Lanzoni) was implemented. Pollen season was defined as the period in which 95% of the annual total catch occurred. The alder pollen season in 2020 started about 10–30 days earlier compared to 2017–2019. The pollen season started first in Szczecin, Opole and Zielona Gora (in the second half of January). In the other cities alder pollen season started in first half of February. The highest daily pollen count was recorded in Lublin (1211 P/m3). In other cities the maximum concentrations ranged from 160 P/m3 in Sosnowiec to 465 P/m3 in Piotrkow Trybunalski. The highest alder pollen concentrations were detected in the first decade of March (March 1st–3rd). Only in Zielona Gora, Wroclaw, Opole and Sosnowiec the maximum concentration was recorded in the third decade of February. The annual pollen sum of Alnus in 2020 was even 5–10 times lower than in years 2019

Artemisia pollen season in southern Poland in 2016

In the paper, mugwort pollen seasons observed in 2016 were compared in six cities of southern Poland, i.e. Cracow, Lublin, Opole, Sosnowiec, Wroclaw, and Zielona Gora. The investigations of airborne pollen concentrations were carried out with the volumetric method using Lanzoni and Burkard devices. In 2016, the earliest onset of the mugwort pollen season was noted in Lublin (13.07) and the latest beginning was reported in Wroclaw (24.07). High daily pollen concentrations were recorded between the third decade of July and the second decade of August. The highest annual pollen count and the greatest risk of development of allergies to mugwort pollen were noted in Opole and Zielona Gora. The highest daily concentrations for the taxon were recorded in all measurement stations in the first half of August. Maximum concentrations were noted in Wroclaw (84 P/m3) and Lublin (79 P/m3)

Ragweed pollen season in southern Poland in 2016

The paper presents a comparison of ragweed pollen seasons in Zielona Gora, Opole, Wroclaw, Sosnowiec, Cracow, and Lublin. The investigations were carried out with the volumetric method. The ragweed pollen season began on different days of August. The maximum daily pollen count in all the cities was noted at the end of August. The greatest risk of allergies caused by the presence of airborne ragweed pollen was reported from Zielona Gora, Opole, and Sosnowiec