A long-term study of winter and early spring tree pollen in the Tulsa, Oklahoma atmosphere |
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Authors: | Estelle Levetin |
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Institution: | (1) Faculty of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, 74104 Tulsa, OK, USA |
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Abstract: | Since 1986 the atmosphere in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been monitored for airborne pollen and spores with a Burkard 7-day spore
trap situated on the roof of a building at The University of Tulsa. The present study specifically examined the early spring
tree pollen season for several local taxa and the occurrence of pre-season pollen during December and January. Knowledge of
the local pollen season will help identify the presence of out-of-season pollen and possible long distance transport (LDT)
events. Average daily concentrations of airborne pollen for species ofBetula, Quercus, Ulmus, and Cupressaceae were determined for each year from 1987 to 1996. The data showed that during the early spring the precise
pollination periods for these allergenic tree species are highly variable. There were considerable variations in start date,
season length, peak concentration, date of peak, and cumulative season total. The start dates forUlmus, Betula, andQuercus varied by 30 days or more, while the early spring Cupressaceae pollen showed the least variation in start date (only 23 days).
More research is needed to understand the mechanisms which govern the onset and magnitude of pollen release. Although several
reports have documented episodes of long distance transport (LDT) of pollen, the actual contribution of out-of-season or out-of-region
pollen to local air spora is poorly known. The current study also re-examined the LDT ofJuniperus ashei pollen in Oklahoma.Juniperus pollen appeared in the Tulsa atmosphere on 40% of the days in December and January with concentrations as high as 2400 pollen
grains/m3 of air; however, no local populations ofJuniperus pollinate at this time of the year. High concentrations occurred on days with southerly winds suggesting thatJuniperus ashei populations in southern Oklahoma and Texas were the pollen source. Since no local pollen is present in the Tulsa atmosphere
in December and January, this example of LDT has been easy to document. |
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Keywords: | Juniperus Ulmus Betula Quercus Long distance transport Pollen season |
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