Article
Environmental Sciences
Natalie Iwanycki Ahlstrand, Hannah M. Elvery, Richard B. Primack
Summary: The grass family is responsible for most pollen allergies. Climate change is expected to increase the severity of pollen-based asthma and allergies. Current pollen monitoring techniques have limitations in identifying grass species, resulting in grouping them all together. To address this issue, researchers used phenological data from herbarium specimens and pollen monitoring data to determine the response of flowering time to climate change for 12 allergenic grass species. They found that pollen season duration is lasting longer and starting earlier, and the maximum pollen loads are occurring earlier in response to climate warming.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jesus Rojo, Jose Oteros, Antonio Picornell, Jose M. Maya-Manzano, Athanasios Damialis, Katrin Zink, Matthias Werchan, Barbora Werchan, Matt Smith, Annette Menzel, Sabine Timpf, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Karl-Christian Bergmann, Carsten B. Schmidt-Weber, Jeroen Buters
Summary: This study examines the impact of climate change on airborne birch pollen concentrations in Central Europe, specifically Bavaria in Southern Germany. The findings suggest that climate change will lead to changes in the amount of airborne birch pollen, depending on location and climate scenario. Areas at higher altitudes are expected to experience increases in birch tree distribution and subsequent rises in airborne birch pollen, while decreases in pollen load are projected at lower altitudes due to the reduction in birch trees.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Linze Li, Dalai Hao, Xuecao Li, Min Chen, Yuyu Zhou, Dawn Jurgens, Ghassam Asrar, Amir Sapkota
Summary: Climate change impacts pollen exposure among sensitive populations, and the lack of high spatial resolution pollen data has led to a growing interest in using satellite-derived phenology information to infer key pollen events. Results show that MODIS-based SOS is more closely aligned with in-situ SPS and PPS, while Landsat-based SOS has better precision. Data products obtained using DLM processing methods tend to perform better than HPLM-based methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah Glick, Regula Gehrig, Marloes Eeftens
Summary: Longitudinal shifts in pollen onset, duration, and intensity have been observed in some plants in Switzerland, with the choice of MPS definition affecting the magnitude and significance of these changes. Future research can investigate whether these temporal and quantitative pollen changes correlate with longitudinal differences in population pollen sensitization.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Maurizio Iovane, Luigi Gennaro Izzo, Aurora Cirillo, Leone Ermes Romano, Claudio Di Vaio, Giovanna Aronne
Summary: This study investigated the flowering phenology and pollen functionality of 13 traditional apricot cultivars in the Campania region of Southern Italy. The results showed that pollen germination is extremely sensitive to temperature with significant variations among different apricot genotypes. These findings are important for monitoring fruit production, cultivar selection, and breeding projects.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tyler G. Creech, Matthew A. Williamson, Steven E. Sesnie, Esther S. Rubin, Daniel R. Cayan, Erica Fleishman
Summary: Assessments of the potential responses of animal species to climate change often rely on correlations between long-term average temperature or precipitation and species' occurrence or abundance. However, this study shows that climate extremes and plant phenology may contribute more to projecting wildlife responses to climate change than climate means.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yiluan Song, Christopher J. Zajic, Taehee Hwang, Christopher R. Hakkenberg, Kai Zhu
Summary: Through remote sensing observations, a systematic evaluation revealed a widespread mismatch between land surface phenology and climate in certain regions of the Northern Hemisphere over the past three decades. This mismatch was more pronounced in areas heavily impacted by human activities, suggesting a link between human activities and the desynchronization of phenology dynamics with climate variations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Agnieszka Kubik-Komar, Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko, Izabela Kuna-Broniowska, Elzbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska, Boguslaw Michal Kaszewski
Summary: The study focused on changes in the start of the birch pollen season, observing a significant trend of earlier start dates for seasons with high concentrations of pollen.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul J. Beggs
Summary: Climate change has a significant impact on aeroallergens and allergic respiratory diseases, with research in this field rapidly advancing in recent years. The importance of addressing the impacts of climate change on environmental monitoring and exposure through the concept of the aeroexposome is increasingly recognized. Further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps and explore the effects of climate change on indoor aeroallergens.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan Barrett, Leslie Brown
Summary: Variability in ephemeral resources provided by woody plants is influenced by temperature, rainfall, and photoperiod. The onset of resource pulses is mainly triggered by rising temperatures in September, with a significant lag between flowering and rainfall. Temperature has the biggest impact on the number of species with new fruits and pods. Monitoring of climatic variables is recommended for wildlife populations in areas with woody plant species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Moxi Yuan, Xinxin Li, Sai Qu, Zuoshi Wen, Lin Zhao
Summary: Recent research has shown that the dynamics of autumn phenology have a significant impact on inter-annual changes in the carbon cycle. However, the shifts in autumn phenology and their governing factors have not been universally acknowledged. This study analyzes the dynamic characteristics of autumn phenology in the Yellow River Basin and identifies the main driving factors. The results indicate a significant delay in autumn phenology, with spring phenology being the most important factor. Different vegetation types are influenced by different driving factors, with drought having a greater impact on grasslands.
Article
Plant Sciences
Paula Pipan, Andrew Hall, Suzy Y. Rogiers, Bruno P. Holzapfel
Summary: This study compared the accuracy of climatic indices calculated using on-site climate sensors and interpolated climate datasets in vineyards in three wine regions in Victoria, Australia. The results showed that interpolated climate data closely matched recorded maximum temperatures in most cases, but were less accurate in predicting minimum temperatures in topographically complex sites.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xinyue Gao, Zexing Tao, Junhu Dai
Summary: This study investigates the impact of extreme climate events on autumn phenology in dryland ecosystems in Central Asia. The results show that there has been an increase in drought and heat events, leading to an earlier end of growing season (EOS) in grasslands. The changes in extreme climate indices, particularly heavy rainfall and heat stress, have a stronger explanatory power than mean climate indices. However, the impact of extreme climate events is less pronounced at higher elevations. The variation in EOS for forests and shrublands is largely influenced by mean climate indices, such as mean minimum temperature and accumulated precipitation. These findings provide valuable insights into the response of phenology to extreme climate events and have implications for ecosystem management in arid regions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Chris Wyver, Simon G. Potts, Rowan Edwards, Mike Edwards, Deepa Senapathi
Summary: The phenology of crops and their pollinators is shifting due to climate change, which can result in phenological mismatch and decreased crop production. This study analyzes 48 years of UK citizen science and systematic data to report shifts in apple flowering and bee phenology. The study highlights the potential risk of asynchrony between crop and pollinator phenology and the importance of citizen science in understanding these shifts.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Courtney M. Currier, Osvaldo E. Sala
Summary: Plant growth cycles are influenced by environmental factors, with precipitation being a major driver of phenological change in drylands. Temperature has a modest effect on plant phenology compared to precipitation.
Review
Plant Sciences
Jose Maria Maya-Manzano, Matt Smith, Emma Markey, Jerry Hourihane Clancy, John Sodeau, David J. O'Connor
Summary: The increasing awareness of allergies and respiratory diseases has prompted scientific efforts to monitor and predict pollen, fungal spores, and other bioaerosols in the atmosphere more accurately and rapidly. This is driven by the realization that climate change will have a significant impact on worldwide bioaerosol distributions and human health. Techniques such as Machine Learning are being explored as more effective alternatives to traditional observation-oriented models like regression and time-series analyses.
Article
Plant Sciences
Matt Smith, Branko Sikoparija
Summary: This study compared the efficacy and usability of Virtual Slide Images and traditional microscopy with glass slides for the Quality Control of aerobiological samples. The data from traditional glass and virtual slides were comparable, but the CV% were generally larger for virtual slides. Participants who examined less than 10% of the slide were more likely to produce results outside the limits of the study.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesus Rojo, Antonio Picornell, Jose Oteros, Matthias Werchan, Barbora Werchan, Karl-Christian Bergmann, Matt Smith, Ingrid Weichenmeier, Carsten B. Schmidt-Weber, Jeroen Buters
Summary: This study investigated the impact of climate change on the reproductive life cycles of plants and pollen seasons in Bavaria, Southern Germany. The results showed that there is a rise in temperature in Bavaria, with a trend towards a more continental climate. Different pollen types were affected differently by climate change, with wind-pollinated species showing advances in pollen seasons and herbaceous species having an earlier season. The effect of climate change on pollen seasons was more pronounced at higher altitudes.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Carl A. Frisk, Beverley Adams-Groom, Carsten A. Skjoth
Summary: Understanding the relationship between flowering patterns and pollen dispersal is important for various fields like climate change modelling and forestry. By studying the demographic and stochastic elements in the flowering process of Dactylis glomerata with detailed spatial and temporal observations, researchers can develop models to predict pollen release in flowering plants. Markov chain modelling can be used to replicate the rapid transition from non-flowering to full flowering states, demonstrating the potential application of stochastic modelling in studying flowering dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Oleg Askeyev, Arthur Askeyev, Igor Askeyev, Tim Sparks
Summary: The study aimed to investigate temperature drivers of spring phenology in boreal habitat in Russia over the period 1989-2020. The results showed that extreme temperatures in March 2020 led to record-breaking warm temperatures, leading to significant advances in some phenological events and identifying temperature thresholds for a majority of the events. Segmented regression models outperformed linear models in explaining the relationship between temperature and phenology, indicating the importance of temperature thresholds in boreal ecosystems.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Arthur O. Askeyev, Oleg Askeyev, Igor Askeyev, Tim H. Sparks
Summary: The climate change in Eastern Europe has had a significant impact on the forests and woodpecker populations. Factors such as winter temperature, severity, snow cover start date, number of dead trees, and food supply play important roles in determining the abundance of woodpeckers during winter.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lukasz Grewling, Donat Magyar, Kazimiera Chlopek, Agnieszka Grinn-Gofron, Julia Gwiazdowska, Asad Siddiquee, Nicoleta Ianovici, Idalia Kasprzyk, Magdalena Wojcik, Janka Laffersova, Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska, Dorota Myszkowska, Victoria Rodinkova, Mykyta Bortnyk, Malgorzata Malkiewicz, Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko, Aneta Sulborska-Rozycka, Ondrej Rybnicek, Jana Scevkova, Branko Sikoparija, Carsten Ambelas Skjoth, Matt Smith, Pawel Bogawski
Summary: This study investigates the hypothesis that Alternaria spores from the Pannonian Plain in South-Central Europe can be transported to Poland after the main sporulation season. Airborne Alternaria spores were collected from various locations along potential air mass pathways. The results suggest the existence of an atmospheric super highway that transports bioaerosols from south to north Europe, posing risks to human health and agricultural crops.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Letter
Environmental Sciences
Y. Vitasse, F. Baumgarten, C. M. Zohner, T. Rutishauser, B. Pietragalla, R. Gehrig, J. Dai, H. Wang, Y. Aono, T. H. Sparks
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Emma Markey, Jerry Hourihane Clancy, Moises Martinez-Bracero, Jose Maria Maya-Manzano, Matt Smith, Carsten Skjoth, Paul Dowding, Roland Sarda-Esteve, Dominique Baisnee, Aoife Donnelly, Eoin McGillicuddy, Gavin Sewell, David J. O'Connor
Summary: Respiratory allergies triggered by pollen allergens pose a significant health concern in Ireland. This study presents the initial results of pollen monitoring campaigns in Dublin and Carlow, indicating the diversity and concentration of pollen types vary between different locations and years, with meteorological factors playing a crucial role.
Article
Ornithology
Joachim Siekiera, Lukasz Jankowiak, Piotr Profus, Tim H. Sparks, Piotr Tryjanowski
Summary: The nocturnal behavior of storks during migration is influenced by the type of roosting site, environmental conditions, and the probability of disturbance.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Oleg Askeyev, Sergey Monakhov, Igor Askeyev, Arthur Askeyev, Tim H. Sparks
Summary: Fish assemblages and environmental variables in the east edge of Europe were studied to describe and identify patterns of fish distribution in a poorly studied region. The impact of environmental factors on fish species and communities was analyzed using regression and ordination methods. The results showed significant differences in fish assemblages, probability of occurrences, and abundance between the eastern and western edges of Europe.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Mike Kendon, Mark McCarthy, Svetlana Jevrejeva, Andrew Matthews, Joanne Williams, Tim Sparks, Fritha West
Summary: This report summarizes the weather and climate of the UK in 2022, and provides historical context for essential climate variables. It is the ninth annual publication in the 'State of the UK Climate' series and an update to the 2021 report. The report uses the most up-to-date observational datasets of climate quality to assess UK climate trends, variations, and extremes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Katinka Hvitman-Graflund, Tim Sparks, Katarina Varjonen
Summary: This study retrospectively reports the management, recurrence, and concurrent diseases in dogs with anal sacculitis (AS) in a veterinary clinic in Sweden. Local treatment and systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were effective in resolving the majority of cases. Dogs with concurrent cutaneous allergic disease had a higher recurrence rate of AS compared to other diseases, and the prevalence of AS was higher in this population than in the general clinic population.
VETERINARY DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Oleg Askeyev, Arthur Askeyev, Igor Askeyev, Tim Sparks
Summary: In this study, the first arrival dates of 31 migrant bird species in the Tatarstan Republic of Russia were investigated. Most of these species advanced their migration during the study period. The study found that higher spring temperatures in Tatarstan were associated with earlier arrival of these birds.