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The occurrence of Ambrosia pollen in the atmosphere of Northwest Turkey: investigation of possible source regions

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Abstract

Ambrosia pollen was first reported as an important allergen in North America at the end of the nineteenth century, and many European countries have recently reported its increasing significance for pollen allergy. The aims of this study were to determine whether the highly allergenic Ambrosia pollen recorded during the studied period could be the result of long-distance transport (LDT) and to identify the potential sources of Ambrosia pollen grains. The study investigates Ambrosia pollen episodes during the peak term of six yearly periods between 2010 and 2015 by examining source regions in Ambrosia pollen in Bursa, Turkey. A volumetric trap was used for collecting the pollen samples, and the back-trajectory model was used to identify a potential source of atmospheric Ambrosia pollen. The days when pollen levels exceeded 30 P m−3 were computed, and clusters were shown on the figures. The study indicates that the Ambrosia pollen grains recorded during the episode in Bursa were not produced by local sources but transported long distances from potential source regions around the Azov Sea in Russia and Ukraine, Black Sea region of Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria. Note that atmospheric concentrations of Ambrosia pollen exceeded the clinical threshold during 28 days during the investigation period. Taking into consideration the high allergenicity of Ambrosia pollen, the present findings suggest that the number of ragweed-sensitized individuals might increase in the near future in the region.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted by the Scientific Research Unit of Uludag University (project number UAP (F)-2011/76) and TUBITAK (project numbers 109S032 and 114Z698). We would like to thank Dr. Matt Smith, Dr. Branko Šikoparija and reviewers for valuable contribution to the paper and E. Bayram for technical assistance. The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model and/or READY website (http://www.ready.noaa.gov) used in this publication.

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  1. Science and Art Faculty, Biology Department, Aerobiology Laboratory, Uludag University, 16059, Görükle, Bursa, Turkey

    Sevcan Celenk & Hulusi Malyer

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  1. Sevcan Celenk
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  2. Hulusi Malyer
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Correspondence to Sevcan Celenk.

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Celenk, S., Malyer, H. The occurrence of Ambrosia pollen in the atmosphere of Northwest Turkey: investigation of possible source regions. Int J Biometeorol 61, 1499–1510 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1328-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1328-y

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