AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-04-07DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09788-5
Isidora Simović, Predrag Matavulj, Branko Šikoparija
{"title":"Manual and automatic quantification of airborne fungal spores during wheat harvest period","authors":"Isidora Simović, Predrag Matavulj, Branko Šikoparija","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09788-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09788-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to the large diversity and quantity of fungal spores, such aerobiological studies are not so abundant and haven’t been done in Serbia so far. As the Pannonian plain is listed as a source of fungal spores all around Europe, our study aimed to describe the aerobiological characteristics of airborne fungal spores measured in location representative for the Pannonian plain during the wheat harvest period and to evaluate automatic bioaerosol monitoring for quantification of total airborne fungal spores. The study revealed that <i>Cladosporium</i>, <i>Alternaria</i>, and <i>Coprinus</i> accounted for over 90% of the total fungal spores count. The relation to meteorology confirmed a distinction between “dry” and “wet” spores and their diurnal cycles, as <i>Ganoderma</i> and <i>Coprinus</i> peaked around dawn, and <i>Alternaria</i> and <i>Cladosporium</i> peaks correlated with daily peaks of temperature and relative humidity. Automatically quantified daily concentrations of total airborne fungal spores showed a statistically significant positive correlation (Pearson r = 0.55, <i>p</i> < 0.01) to values obtained from the manual Hirst method. The same correlations were found for total pollen (Pearson r = 0.60, <i>p</i> < 0.01) and starch granules (Spearman r = 0.80, <i>p</i> < 0.01). A low intensity of fluorescence measurements for fungal spores requires a separate automatic detection from pollen and indicates the need for a good quality training dataset. Thus, Hirst-type measurements provide an essential model for classifying bioaerosols with artificial intelligence.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 2","pages":"227 - 239"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45248577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09784-9
Daniel S. W. Katz, Alan P. Baptist, Stuart A. Batterman
{"title":"Modeling airborne pollen concentrations at an urban scale with pollen release from individual trees","authors":"Daniel S. W. Katz, Alan P. Baptist, Stuart A. Batterman","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09784-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09784-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Airborne pollen can trigger allergic reactions, but exposure is poorly understood because neither regional pollen models nor monitoring networks adequately capture the extensive spatial variation in pollen concentrations observed at urban scales. Here, we test whether pollen emissions from individual source plants can predict spatial variation in airborne pollen at scales of hundreds of meters to kilometers. To do so, we quantified pollen release within a city for oaks (<i>Quercus</i>) by mapping individual trees using remote sensing, calculating each tree’s pollen production with allometric equations, and estimating the timing of flowering with satellite-derived temperature data. We also measured airborne pollen concentrations multiple times a week at 9 sites in the first year and at 15 sites in the second year. Predicted pollen release explained 86% of the spatial variation in measured airborne pollen across the pollen season and 55% of local airborne pollen concentrations on any given day, whereas a traditional monitoring station measurements explained only 34% of spatiotemporal variation. Airborne pollen was best predicted by pollen release within approximately 1–2 km. Our results demonstrate that airborne pollen can be effectively modeled within cities by quantifying pollen release from individual trees. This type of approach could potentially be applied elsewhere, improving predictions of airborne pollen within cities and providing opportunities to avoid allergen exposure, fine-tune medication use, and better inform tree management decisions.\u0000</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3>\u0000 <div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 2","pages":"181 - 193"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45703745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-02-19DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09782-x
Mariel Suarez-Suarez, Jose M. Maya-Manzano, Bernard Clot, Marie-José Graber, Christine Sallin, Fiona Tummon, Jeroen Buters
{"title":"Accuracy of a hand-held resistance-free flowmeters for flow adjustments of Hirst-Type pollen traps","authors":"Mariel Suarez-Suarez, Jose M. Maya-Manzano, Bernard Clot, Marie-José Graber, Christine Sallin, Fiona Tummon, Jeroen Buters","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09782-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09782-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Hirst-type pollen trap (1952) is the most common device for aerobiological measurements of pollen and fungal spores in ambient air. In the 1960s the in-line flowmeter was removed and studies since then showed considerable variability in the airflow pumped through the instrument when using hand-held rotameters with an internal airflow resistance to adjust flowrates. To avoid this problem, our study compared the variability of airflow rates of Hirst-type traps when using commercially-available low-resistance airflow meters (heat anemometers) at various timescales. Experiments were conducted in Munich (Germany) and Payerne (Switzerland), using 4 different easyFlux® instruments and 6 Hirst-type pollen traps. Measurements were taken on an hourly basis from dawn to dusk at both locations, and in addition at Payerne, weekly observations over a period of one year. When using the common hand-held rotameters (with airflow resistance) the flow was 28.3% lower than with resistance-free flowmeter (i.e., measured 10 L/min which was in reality 12.8 L/min). The coefficient of variation between the four easyFlux® devices ranged from 0.32% to 1.55% over one day and from 2.88% to 8.17% over an entire year. Some of the traps showed surprising flow variations during the day. Furthermore, flowrates deviated more when measurements were made at the point where the double-sided tape is behind the orifice than elsewhere on the drum. The measurements away from this point are representative of the flow rates for most of the period of operation and flow calibration should thus be carried out away from this point, contrary to the current procedure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"143 - 148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-023-09782-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49644479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-02-16DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09783-w
Johanna Jetschni, Jane Al Kouba, Paul J. Beggs, Susanne Jochner-Oette
{"title":"Investigation of spatial and temporal variations of airborne Poaceae, Myrtaceae and Cupressaceae pollen and Alternaria spores in Sydney, Australia, 2017–2020","authors":"Johanna Jetschni, Jane Al Kouba, Paul J. Beggs, Susanne Jochner-Oette","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09783-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09783-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There is a need for information on pollen exposure to assess allergy risk. Monitoring of aeroallergens in a city is usually limited to the use of a single trap for the whole area. While a single trap provides enough information on background pollen concentration for the area, varying pollen exposure across different urban environments, however, is not considered. In this study, we analysed aerobiological data of three pollen seasons (2017–2020) recorded with a volumetric pollen trap in Sydney, Australia. In order to assess spatial differences in pollen exposure across the city, we installed ten gravimetric traps recording pollen deposition for eight weeks during the summer of 2019/2020. We considered the influence of meteorological variables, land use, urbanisation and distance to the sea. Our results showed differences in pollen season characteristics across the three analysed seasons and correlations with meteorological parameters. Considering all years, we found for Poaceae and <i>Alternaria</i> the strongest positive correlation with mean temperature and for Myrtaceae and Cupressaceae with maximum temperature. Likewise, there were negative correlations with humidity (Myrtaceae, Cupressaceae, <i>Alternaria</i>) and precipitation (Myrtaceae, Cupressaceae). Days with medically relevant pollen and spore concentrations varied between years and we recorded the highest amount in 2017/2018 for Poaceae and <i>Alternaria</i> and in 2019/2020 for Myrtaceae. In addition, we found spatial and temporal variations of pollen deposition. However, we did not detect significant correlations between pollen deposition and land use, which can be attributable to drought conditions prior to the sampling campaign and the temporal setting in the pollen season. This study highlights the importance of continuous volumetric aerobiological monitoring as well as the assessment of pollen exposure at several locations across a large urban area.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"149 - 168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-023-09783-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46939880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-02-09DOI: 10.1007/s10453-022-09778-z
N. D. Havis, J. Kaczmarek, M. Jedryczka, M. Hess, Z. Fang
{"title":"Spore dispersal patterns of the ascomycete fungus Ramularia collo-cygni and their influence on disease epidemics","authors":"N. D. Havis, J. Kaczmarek, M. Jedryczka, M. Hess, Z. Fang","doi":"10.1007/s10453-022-09778-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-022-09778-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ramularia leaf spot is a major economic disease of barley caused by the dothidiomycete fungus <i>Ramularia</i> <i>collo-cygni.</i> The fungus has a complex life cycle which includes extensive late season spore release events and a seed-borne phase. Predicting disease epidemics during the growing season remains a difficult challenge. To better understand the interaction between spore movement and disease epidemics, spore samplers were set up in Germany (two sites over 4 years), Poland (seven sites over 2 years) and the UK (two sites over 9 years), where the disease has been observed. Spore concentrations were determined using a real time PCR assay, and meteorological data were obtained from co-located automatic stations. Spore release events were seen to peak in June on mainland Europe and July in the UK. The pattern of spore release was broadly similar across countries with earlier peaks in mainland Europe. A relationship was observed in the UK between July spore levels and disease in following winter barley crops. Rainfall and temperature were proposed as significant drivers of spore release in these months. The major environmental parameter associated with spore release across the two UK sites was crop surface wetness, although some site-specific interactions were noted for rainfall and wind movement. Regression analysis of spore patterns and disease epidemics indicates a relationship between spore levels 75–105 days pre harvest and final disease levels in UK winter barley crops. This relationship was not observed in spring barley. The implications on risk forecasts are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"105 - 118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-022-09778-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44706692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-02-05DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09780-z
Sophie Erb, Alexis Berne, Nina Burgdorfer, Bernard Clot, Marie-José Graber, Gian Lieberherr, Christine Sallin, Fiona Tummon, Benoît Crouzy
{"title":"Automatic real-time monitoring of fungal spores: the case of Alternaria spp.","authors":"Sophie Erb, Alexis Berne, Nina Burgdorfer, Bernard Clot, Marie-José Graber, Gian Lieberherr, Christine Sallin, Fiona Tummon, Benoît Crouzy","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09780-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09780-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We present the first implementation of the monitoring of airborne fungal spores in real-time using digital holography. To obtain observations of <i>Alternaria</i> spp. spores representative of their airborne stage, we collected events measured in the air during crop harvesting in a contaminated potato field, using a Swisens Poleno device. The classification algorithm used by MeteoSwiss for operational pollen monitoring was extended by training the system using this additional dataset. The quality of the retrieved concentrations is evaluated by comparison with parallel measurements made with a manual Hirst-type trap. Correlations between the two measurements are high, especially over the main dispersion period of <i>Alternaria</i> spp., demonstrating the potential for automatic real-time monitoring of fungal spores.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"40 1","pages":"123 - 127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-023-09780-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134921501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Skin allergenicity of airborne and soil algae isolated from Malaysia","authors":"Harn-Li Juay, Wan-Loy Chu, Shew-Fung Wong, Siew-Moi Phang, Yih-Yih Kok","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09781-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09781-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Studies have shown that the aquatic algae can cause allergy in humans. However, there are relatively few studies of airborne and soil algae on skin allergenicity. Therefore, we aimed to assess the skin allergenicity potential of airborne and soil algae isolated from Malaysia. Six algal species namely <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp., <i>Stichococcus</i> sp., <i>Chlorococcum</i> sp., <i>Chlorella</i> sp., <i>Ulothrix</i> sp. and <i>Hapalosiphon</i> sp. isolated from air and soil samples were screened based on the expression of IL-18 by NCTC 2544 keratinocytes in vitro assay. The mechanism of <i>Stichococcus</i> sp., <i>Hapalosiphon</i> sp. and <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp. in inducing skin allergenicity was further elucidated using Balb/c mouse model. Both proliferation of T-lymphocytes at local lymph nodes and expression of various acute inflammatory cytokines were assessed. The in vitro study showed that all algal extracts (1 mg/mL) except <i>Ulothrix</i> sp. were potential contact sensitisers and induced the expression of IL-18 by 0.369–5.227 pg/mg (IL-18/unit protein) in NCTC 2544 cells. The in vivo study revealed that <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp., <i>Hapalosiphon</i> sp. and <i>Stichococcus</i> sp. were able to induce skin sensitisation in mice with a stimulation index (SI) greater than 1.6 in the local lymph node assay (LLNA) suggesting these three algae species can cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). In addition, they are able to stimulate the expression of acute inflammatory cytokines such as GM-CSF, IL-1<i>α</i> and TNF-<i>α</i>. It was concluded that airborne and soil algae are potential contact allergens and can cause allergic contact dermatitis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"133 - 141"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-023-09781-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47358342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2023-01-31DOI: 10.1007/s10453-023-09779-6
Xiuyu Lou, Qing Yang, Junting Xie, Zhiguo Fang
{"title":"Concentration characteristics of culturable airborne microbes in family homes in Hangzhou, China","authors":"Xiuyu Lou, Qing Yang, Junting Xie, Zhiguo Fang","doi":"10.1007/s10453-023-09779-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-023-09779-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study assessed the concentration characteristics of culturable airborne microbes in 60 family homes with children aged 1–15 years in Hangzhou, southeast China. The concentration of culturable airborne microbes ranged from 314 colony-forming units (CFU)/m<sup>3</sup> to 2903 CFU/m<sup>3</sup>, with a mean value of 873 CFU/m<sup>3</sup>. The mean fungal concentration (653 CFU/m<sup>3</sup>) was significantly higher than the mean bacterial concentration of the atmosphere (220 CFU/m<sup>3</sup>), and the proportion of airborne fungi (73.9%) was significantly higher than that of airborne bacteria (26.1%). Microbial concentrations in family homes with a male child were significantly higher than those in homes with a female child, and there was a negative correlation between microbial concentration and living area per capita in family homes. The mean microbial concentration was highest in summer, followed by spring and autumn, and lowest in winter. This study provides an exposure database of airborne microbes in family homes in southeast China, suggesting that child gender and human occupancy in family homes significantly influence the microbial concentration in the air.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"119 - 131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-023-09779-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42957894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2022-12-24DOI: 10.1007/s10453-022-09775-2
Aggeliki Saridaki, Thodoros Glytsos, Louiza Raisi, Eleftheria Katsivela, George Tsiamis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Mihalis Lazaridis
{"title":"Airborne particles, bacterial and fungal communities insights of two museum exhibition halls with diverse air quality characteristics","authors":"Aggeliki Saridaki, Thodoros Glytsos, Louiza Raisi, Eleftheria Katsivela, George Tsiamis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Mihalis Lazaridis","doi":"10.1007/s10453-022-09775-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-022-09775-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Airborne particles, bacteria and fungi consist main determinants of indoor air quality. In this study, these characteristics were investigated in two exhibition halls of the Historical Museum of Crete, in comparison with the outdoor environment. In <i>Zacharias Portalakis</i> (ZP) hall, three air purifiers were operating during museum opening hours, as opposed to <i>El Greco</i> (EG) hall. A significant part of ultrafine (< 1 μm) particles was efficiently removed by the air purifiers in ZP hall. Airborne coarse particles PN<sub>2.5–10</sub> were associated with human occupancy in both halls, indicating transportation from visitors and resuspension as possible sources. Average airborne bacterial concentration was also lower in ZP than in EG hall, assessed by both molecular and culture-dependent methods. The bacterial and fungal communities of both indoor halls were distinct from the outdoor counterpart. <i>Micrococcus</i> and <i>Staphylococcus</i>, in terms of bacteria, and <i>Alternaria</i> and <i>Malassezia</i>, in terms of fungi, were the most abundant genera indoors, most of them being human-related. Hierarchical clustering of indoor samples indicated that EG hall bacteria were similar to ZP hall bacteria collected on the same day, but varied between different sampling dates. This observation, together with the bacterial beta-diversity analysis, implied that both indoor halls probably shared common bacterial source(s), while the respective fungal pattern of the two indoor halls was found significantly separated. The outdoor air contribution in EG and ZP hall bacterial profile presented a comparable fluctuation pattern; this was not observed for fungi, probably indicating the complexity of potential sources for different fungal taxa.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"69 - 86"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10453-022-09775-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47691508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AerobiologiaPub Date : 2022-12-23DOI: 10.1007/s10453-022-09774-3
Daniel S. W. Katz, Elizabeth Vogt, Arie Manangan, Claudia L. Brown, Dan Dalan, Kai Zhu, Yiluan Song, Theresa M. Crimmins
{"title":"Observations from the USA National Phenology Network can be leveraged to model airborne pollen","authors":"Daniel S. W. Katz, Elizabeth Vogt, Arie Manangan, Claudia L. Brown, Dan Dalan, Kai Zhu, Yiluan Song, Theresa M. Crimmins","doi":"10.1007/s10453-022-09774-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10453-022-09774-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) hosts the largest volunteer-contributed collection of plant phenology observations in the USA. The potential contributions of these spatially and temporally explicit observations of flowers and pollen cones to the field of aerobiology remain largely unexplored. Here, we introduce this freely available dataset and demonstrate its prospective applications for modeling airborne pollen in a case study. Specifically, we compare the timing of 4265 observations of flowering for oak (<i>Quercus</i>) trees in the eastern USA to winter–spring temperatures. We then use this relationship to predict the day of peak flowering at 15 pollen monitoring stations in 15 years and compare the predicted day of peak flowering to the peak day of measured pollen (<i>n</i> = 111 station-years). There was a strong association between winter–spring temperature and the presence of open flowers (<i>r</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.66, <i>p</i> < 0.0001) and the predicted peak flowering was strongly correlated with peak airborne pollen concentrations (<i>r</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.81, <i>p</i> < 0.0001). These results demonstrate the potential for the USA-NPN’s phenological observations to underpin source-based models of airborne pollen. We also highlight opportunities for leveraging and enhancing this near real-time dataset for aerobiological applications.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7718,"journal":{"name":"Aerobiologia","volume":"39 1","pages":"169 - 174"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41550269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}