Analysis of airborne pollen of Gumushane Province in northeastern Turkey and its relationship with meteorological parameters

Knowledge of the types of atmospheric pollen and their concentrations in a particular area is critical for evaluating air quality and allergen exposure. This study was carried out to determine the pollen diversity and daily, monthly, and annual concentrations in Gumushane, whose relationships were then sought with the meteorological factors in the atmosphere of Gumushane. For this purpose, an aerobiological study was carried out with Hirst (Burkard) type pollen traps in the Gumushane city center between August 2010 and July 2012. Sampling and analysis of the pollens followed the method described by the Spanish Aerobiological Network. The duration of the main pollen season (MPS) was determined according to the 98% method, and daily pollen concentration in the MPS was statistically analyzed and compared with the meteorological parameters. A total of 41,544 pollen grains belonging to 70 taxa were recorded in Gumushane during the study period. In the first year (August 2010-July 2011) of the study, 36,020 pollen grains belonging to 63 taxa were detected, while a total of 5524 pollen grains belonging to 68 taxa were detected in the second year (August 2011 and July 2012). In both of the study periods, pollen grains from trees were the biggest contributors to the airborne pollen (85.6%), followed by grasses (Poaceae) (8.8%) and the other weeds (5.6%). Comparison of the meteorological parameters and pollen concentrations revealed that the meteorological parameters could have different effects on pollen concentrations of different taxa, where only the taxa that gave >= 1% airborne pollen for the study period were studied.