Platanus pollen season in Andalusia (southern Spain): trends and modeling

Platanus is a major cause of pollen allergy in many Spanish cities. The present paper reports an analysis of Platanus pollen season throughout the Andalusia region (southern Spain), which has among the highest pollen counts and the highest incidence of Platanus-related allergies in Europe. The main...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental monitoring 2011-09, Vol.13 (9), p.2502-2510
Main Authors: Alcázar, Purificación, García-Mozo, Herminia, Trigo, Maria Del Mar, Ruiz, Luis, González-Minero, Francisco José, Hidalgo, Pablo, Díaz de la Guardia, Consuelo, Galán, Carmen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data
Allergens - analysis
Cities - statistics & numerical data
Environmental Monitoring
Magnoliopsida - growth & development
Magnoliopsida - physiology
Models, Statistical
Platanus
Pollen
Seasons
Spain
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Summary:Platanus is a major cause of pollen allergy in many Spanish cities. The present paper reports an analysis of Platanus pollen season throughout the Andalusia region (southern Spain), which has among the highest pollen counts and the highest incidence of Platanus-related allergies in Europe. The main aim was to analyze pollen season trends from 1992 to 2010 in Andalusia; models were also constructed to forecast the start of the season. Daily pollen counts were recorded using Hirst-type volumetric spore-traps. Pollen season start-dates were very similar at all sites, usually occurring in March. The pollen season was delayed over the study period. The Pollen-season duration and Pollen index generally increased throughout the study period. The starting date for temperature accumulation was around the 10th February, although the threshold temperatures varied by site. The regional model for Andalusia failed to provide sufficiently accurate results compared with sub-regional or local models. For modeling purposes, three sub-regions are recommended: Inland, East Coast and West Coast.
ISSN:1464-0325
1464-0333
DOI:10.1039/c1em10355e