Airborne pollen concentration in Nanjing, eastern China, and its relationship with meteorological factors

Fang, Yiman; Ma, Chunmei; Bunting, M. Jane; Ding, Aijun; Lu, Huayu; Sun, Wenfeng

Abstract

This paper presents the results of airborne pollen and spore trapping in Nanjing city, eastern China, using a Burkard pollen trap during two consecutive years (2013–2014). A total of 103 pollen and spore taxa were identified. Two concentration peaks are observed in the annual cycle, a spring peak dominated by arboreal pollen types (Morus, Cupressaceae, Pinus, Pterocarya, and Quercus) and a fall peak dominated by upland herbs (Compositae, Poaceae, Humulus, and Cruciferae). Wetland herbs and ferns dominate summer assemblages and winter assemblages are characterized by sporadic records of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, and Pinus. Strong year‐to‐year differences in measured pollen concentration are seen, probably in response to interyear differences in weather. Compared to long‐term means, 2013 was comparatively hot and dry and 2014 had a higher than average number of rain days during the flowering periods. Rising temperatures in early spring are connected with the timing of flowering and therefore pollen release, while rainfall during the flowering period appeared to remove pollen from the air, leading to lower recorded pollen concentration values. Four taxa, Cupressaceae, Quercus, Pinus, and Humulus, were considered in more detail. Each has a different pattern of variation in pollen concentration between the studied years. Cross correlation between pollen concentration and daily temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation at lags from 0 to −30 days also showed different responses for each taxon, suggesting that pollen signal responses to weather conditions have to be considered at a taxon level rather than at the assemblage level.

Citation

Fang, Y., Ma, C., Bunting, M. J., Ding, A., Lu, H., & Sun, W. (2018). Airborne pollen concentration in Nanjing, eastern China, and its relationship with meteorological factors. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 123(19), 10,842-10,856. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029026

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 9, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 2, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 16, 2018
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 3, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• Print ISSN: 2169-897X
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 123
• Issue: 19
• Pages: 10,842-10,856
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029026
• Keywords: Airborne pollen; Meteorological factors; Burkard pollen trap; Spatial analysis; Eastern China
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1092674
• Publisher URL: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JD029026
• Additional Information: Published early view 2nd October
• Contract Date: Oct 4, 2018