The influence of the hot and dry summer 2003 on the pollen season in Switzerland |
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Authors: | Regula Gehrig |
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Institution: | 1. MeteoSwiss, Kr?hbühlstrasse 58, CH-8044, Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract: | A record-breaking heat wave affected the European continent in summer 2003. In Switzerland, the temperature in June, July
and August exceeded the 1961–1990 mean by about 5 °C. These extreme temperatures had significant effects on the pollen production
and on the airborne pollen loads. Especially affected was the grass pollen season, which started 1–2 weeks earlier than in
the mean. During May and the first part of June the grass pollen production and dispersion was favoured by the warm and dry
weather and many days with high pollen concentrations were registered. First water deficiencies occurred in June so that the
grasses ceased to grow. The grass pollen season ended 7–33 days earlier than normal. For many of our stations of the Swiss
pollen network this had never occurred as early as in 2003. The other herbaceous plants were not affected as much as the grasses.
We measured very high Chenopodium and Plantago pollen concentrations, about normal concentrations of Urtica and Rumex and slightly lower Artemisia pollen concentrations than normal. The summer 2003 was exceptional and its reoccurrence is at the moment statistically extremely
unlikely. But models of climatologists show that in the future, climate variations will increase and that in the period 2071–2100
about every second summer could be as warm or warmer and as dry or dryer than 2003. |
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Keywords: | allergy climate change grass pollen heat wave 2003 season |
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