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Airborne pollen parameters and their relationship with meteorological variables in NE Iberian Peninsula

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Abstract

The present study explores the role of the meteorological variability in the pollen production and the timing of the airborne pollen season by analysis of the correlation between precipitation, insolation and temperature and the main standardised airborne pollen parameters of 22 taxa collected at 6 localities in Catalonia (NE Spain). The pollen parameters included in the study were: Annual Pollen Integral and the Start, End and Length of the Main Pollen Season. Considering that the Main Pollen Season of most of the taxa in Catalonia lasts from spring to summer or autumn, correlations between the pollen parameters and winter (from December to March) values of meteorological variables were calculated. Correlations between Monthly Pollen Integral and monthly values of the meteorological variables were also calculated. The results obtained report the synchronism registered in the variations of pollen concentration with precipitation (negative), insolation (positive) and temperature (positive). Temperature was the meteorological variable that showed a greater influence in the pollen production and the timing of the pollen season, being insolation the least one. The Start of the Main Pollen Season was the pollen parameter more correlated with the meteorological variables, especially with winter temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the financial support from European Commission for “ENV4-CT98-0755” and the ERDF; the Spanish Government for “AMB97-0457-CO7-021”, REN2001-10659-CO3-01”, “CGL2004-21166-E, “CGL2005-07543/CLI”, “CGL2009-11205”, “CGL2012-39523-C02-01/CLI”, CGL2012-39523-C02-02 and CONSOLIDER GRACCIE; the Catalan Government AGAUR for “2002SGR00059”, “2005SGR00519”, “2009SGR1102” and “2014SGR1274”; Diputació de Tarragona, Sociedad Española de Alergología e Inmunología Clínica (SEAIC), División de Alergia de Laboratorios LETI S.L. Barcelona, Societat Catalana d’Al·lèrgia i Immunologia Clínica (SCAIC), Stallergenes Ibérica, S.A., J Uriach y Compañia, S.A., LAFOSCA STUDIO SL, Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera. Our thanks to Josep Calbó and Arturo Sánchez-Lorenzo (Department de Física, Universitat de Girona) for providing insolation data and to Jordi Cunillera (Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya) for providing meteorological data. This work is contributing to the ICTA ‘Unit of Excellence’ (MinECo, MDM2015-0552).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Física, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Carrer Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019, Barcelona, Spain

    Husam T. Majeed, Cristina Periago & Marta Alarcón

  2. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Jordina Belmonte

  3. Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici C, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Jordina Belmonte

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  1. Husam T. Majeed
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Correspondence to Cristina Periago.

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Majeed, H.T., Periago, C., Alarcón, M. et al. Airborne pollen parameters and their relationship with meteorological variables in NE Iberian Peninsula. Aerobiologia 34, 375–388 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-018-9520-z

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