Is long range transport of pollen in the NW Mediterranean basin influenced by Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns?

• Published in: Science of The Total Environment
• Main Authors: Izquierdo Miguel, Rebeca, Alarcón Jordán, Marta, Periago Oliver, M. Cristina, Belmonte Soler, Jordina
• Other Authors: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física::Impacte ambiental; Pollen; Environmental impact analysis; Teleconnection patterns influence atmospheric circulation in Mediterranean basin. Effects of climatic variability on airborne pollen transport were examined. Pollen transport from Europe was related with negative NAOi; AOi and WeMOi. Pollen transport from S and W Europe was linked with positive AOi and WeMOi.; Pol·len; Medi ambient > Anàlisi d'impacte; Arctic; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2117/77398; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.047

Climatic oscillations triggered by the atmospheric modes of the Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns have an important influence on the atmospheric circulation at synoptic scale in Western Mediterranean Basin. Simultaneously, this climate variability could affect a variety of ecological processes. This work provides a first assessment of the effect of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) on the atmospheric long-range pollen transport episodes in the North-Eastern Iberian Peninsula for the period 1994–2011. Alnus, Ambrosia, Betula, Corylus and Fagus have been selected as allergenic pollen taxa with potential long-range transport associated to the Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns in the Western Mediterranean Basin. The results showed an increase of long range pollen transport episodes of: (1) Alnus, Corylus and Fagus from Western and Central Europe during the negative phase of annual NAO and AO; (2) Ambrosia, Betula and Fagus from Europe during the negative phase of winter WeMO; (3) Corylus and Fagus from Mediterranean area during the positive phase of the annual AO; and (4) Ambrosia from France and Northern Europe during the positive phase of winter WeMO. Conversely, the positive phase of annual NAO and AO are linked with the regional transport of Alnus, Betula and Corylus from Western Iberian Peninsula. The positive phase of annual WeMO was also positively correlated with regional transport of Corylus from this area. Peer Reviewed Postprint (author’s final draft)