The start of the birch pollen season in Finnish Lapland: separating non-local from local birch pollen and the implication for allergy sufferers

: Oikonen MK, Hicks S, Heino S, Rantio-Lahtimaki A

Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS

: 2005

: Grana

: GRANA

: 44

: 3

: 181

: 186

: 6

: 0017-3134

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00173130510010602

We did not observe any trend towards an earlier start of the phenologically observed mountain birch anthesis at Kevo as predicted from work elsewhere. Moreover, the fixed 2.5% threshold method for determining the birch pollen season proved not to be applicable since in many years this threshold was reached before the end of continuous snow cover. The results indicate that in some years non-local birch pollen contributes considerably to the allergen load in Lapland with up to 57% of the total birch pollen sum being recorded before the day on which local anthesis commenced, and up to 70% of the annual birch pollen deposited being of the southerly birch type.

Ecology, evolutionary biology