When we hear the words โpollen season,โ the first images that often come to mind are picturesque scenes of colorful spring flowers and pleasant, warm temperatures. While it's true that spring is a significant contributor to pollen season, the reality is that this phenomenon extends far beyond the blossoming of flowers. Pollen season is a complex and year-round occurrence that affects millions of people worldwide.
1. Pollen
October 12,2023 5 min read
BarshaSharma
CONTENT LEAD
When we hearthe wordsโpollen season,โ the first imagesthat often
come to mindare picturesque scenesof colorful spring flowersand
pleasant, warm temperatures. While it'strue that spring isa significant
contributorto pollen season, the reality isthat thisphenomenon
extendsfarbeyondthe blossoming of flowers. Pollen season isa
complex andyear-roundoccurrence that affectsmillionsof people
worldwide.
Hereโswhatpollenseasonlookslikeoverthecourse
ofayearinNorthAmerica-
Spring:February-May
PollenSeasonsBeyond
Spring:UsingPollenDatato
GuideBusinessesYear-
Round
CONTENTS
Hereโs what pollen season
looks like over the course of a
year in North America-
Now you must be wondering:
if each pollen type has a
designated season,what's the
problem?
What can healthcare and
pharma businesses do to
adapt to these changing
situations?
Need pollen data for your
business?
APIs Industries Products Resources Climate Company Login GET API FOR FREE
Welcome to Ambee!
2. The arrival of spring often bringssneezes, itchy eyes, breathing
difficulties, andskin allergies, all thankstotreesandtheirpollen. The
microscopic nature of pollen rendersit invisible in the air, leaving us
obliviousto the start of the season until the onset of symptoms. These
allergiesare often triggeredby plantsthat disperse theirpollen through
the windandfindtheirway into oureyes, noses, mouths, andskin.
Summer:May-June
Late spring andthe onset of early summerbring with them a specific set
of allergy challenges, primarily revolving aroundgrasspollen. These
grassesstart theirpollination journey in May, reaching theirpeak
towardsthe endof the month andcontinuing through the initial weeks
of June.
July
The hot, dry weatherin July offersa brief break forthose affectedby
pollen allergies. Treesandgrassescease theirpollination activities
during thisperiodandthe dearth of rain resultsin relatively low mold
spore counts. The pollination processof fall plantsisyet to start.
Fall:August-November
With the advent of fall, weedpollination stagesa comeback, with a
resurgence of allergy symptomsorโhay fever.โ These fall allergy
symptomsare primarily attributable to ragweedpollenandseveral other
weedplants. Asautumn progresses, moldspore countstendto surge,
particularly with the shedding of leavesandthe demise of plants.
Engaging in gardening with mulch orsoil, farming activities, orhiking in
woodedareascan heighten exposure to moldsporesduring this
season.
Winter:December-January
The sole allergen of concern during winterismold. Moldflourishesbest
when temperatureshoverabove freezing andthe environment isdamp,
often following rainfall. During warmerspellsin winter, moldspore
countscan experience temporary surges, which might catch mold-
allergic individualsoff guard.
Nowyoumustbewondering:ifeachpollentypehas
adesignatedseason,what'stheproblem?
ClimateChange!
Climate change hasa significant impact on pollen seasons, leading to
several effects, most notable beingprolonged,intensified,andaltered
pollenseasons.Rising temperaturesandincreasedlevelsof carbon
dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can stimulate plantsto produce more
pollen andforlongerdurations. Thiscan extendthe duration and
intensity of pollen seasons, leading to more prolongedperiodsof
discomfort forallergy sufferers.
APIs Industries Products Resources Climate Company Login GET API FOR FREE
3. Climate change can also disrupt the traditional timing of pollen seasons.
Warmerwinterscan prompt plantsto start pollinating earlierin the year,
catching people off guardandexacerbating allergy symptoms.
Theimpact:With extendedpollen seasons, individualswith allergies
facelongerexposureperiods, increasing theiroverall allergy-related
health risks. Prolongedandintense pollen seasonscan contribute to a
higherincidence of asthma andallergic respiratory conditions, as
individualswith mildallergiesmay developmoreseveresymptoms.
Alteredpollen seasonsmake it challenging forhealthcare providersto
accurately diagnose andtreat allergies, astraditional pollen calendars
may no longerapply.
Let'sshineaspotlightonanotherchallenge:El Niรฑo.
Andyes,there'saclearconnectionbetweenEl Niรฑo andtheprolonged
pollenseasons.
El Niรฑo isa climate phenomenon characterizedby the periodic warming
of sea surface temperaturesin the central andeastern equatorial Pacific
Ocean. While itsprimary impactsare relatedto weatherandclimate
patterns, El Niรฑo can indirectly affect pollen seasonsin variousways.
1. Changesin WeatherPatterns: El Niรฑo tendsto bring about shiftsin
weatherpatterns, such asincreasedrainfall in some areasand
droughtsin others. These changescan influence the timingand
intensity of plant growth andflowering, which, in turn, can affect
pollen production.
2. AlteredTemperature andPrecipitation: Warmertemperaturesand
increasedprecipitation associatedwith El Niรฑo can promote the
growth of certain plants, leading to higherpollenproduction.
3. ExtendedGrowing Seasons: In some regions, El Niรฑo can leadto
longergrowingseasonsforplants. Thisextendedperiodof growth
can result in an extendedpollen season, with more pollen being
releasedovera longerduration.
Now that El Niรฑo hasbeen declaredby NOAA, it isexpectedto make a
much strongerimpact than it didbefore. Again, all thanksto climate
APIs Industries Products Resources Climate Company Login GET API FOR FREE
4. change.
2016wasthe warmest yearon recorddue to the combination of the
two, andsince then, the climate hasonly gotten worse. El Niรฑo is
expectedto bring a more intense pollen season andincrease the
symptomsof allergiesamong vulnerable populations.
Watch ourvideo about the impact of El Niรฑo on seasonal allergies.
Watch on
Climate change โข Climate
Climate change โข Climate
change refers to long-term shif
change refers to long-term shifโฆ
โฆ
The El Niรฑo Effect: Why You're Sneezing More Than
The El Niรฑo Effect: Why You're Sneezing More Thanโฆ
โฆ
Share
Share
How aboutweaddanotherchallengeto themix? Let'stalk about
urbanization.
By 2050, it'sexpectedthat 68% of the world'spopulation will reside in
cities. Thatโsa lot of people. Thisleadsto increasedpollution and
allergies. Forinstance, in Uganda, it wasfoundthat urban areashave
double the ratesof asthma andallergic rhinitiscomparedto rural areas.
A majorcontributorto thisissue isairpollution, which directly impacts
pollen grainsandheightensoursusceptibility to allergies.
High pollution levelson the groundmake it easierforeven smaller
amountsof pollen to triggerallergies. Urban environmentsalso create
heat islands, which are significantly warmerthan rural areas. These
warmerconditionscause treesandplantsto produce more pollen,
extending the allergy season.
Learn more about pollen-causeddiseasesan expertโsPOV.
Whatcanhealthcareandpharmabusinessesdoto
adapttothesechangingsituations?
The answerisquite simple: Insteadof waiting forpollen season to
begin, take proactive stepsandplan in advance. Stay preparedforall
seasonsandstay one step aheadof the pollen.
Andthekey to doing thatispollendata.
Pollen data can help businesseswith:
Analyzing andunderstanding pollen trendsto understandseasonal
variations.
Developing predictive modelsthat use historical pollen data, weather
patterns, andclimate change projectionsto forecast pollen levelsand
APIs Industries Products Resources Climate Company Login GET API FOR FREE
5. provide advancedwarningsto allergy sufferers.
Creating interactive pollen mapsthat allow usersto visualize pollen
levelsandidentify areaswith lowerpollen concentrationsforoutdoor
activities.
Integrating pollen data into electronic health recordsandhealthcare
systems, enabling personalizedtreatmentsbasedon patients'local
pollen exposure.
Creating products, such aswearable devicesorsmartphone
accessories, that can measure local pollen levelsandprovide users
with real-time data andrecommendations.
Forecasting long-term pollen trendsbasedon climate change
projections. Thisinformation can assist healthcare professionals, and
policymakersin planning forfuture healthcare needs.
To encapsulate, pollen data offersdiverse businessopportunities, from
predictive modelsandinteractive mapsto healthcare integration and
wearable tech innovation. Moreover, long-term pollen trendforecasts
derivedfrom climate change projectionsaidhealthcare professionals
andpolicymakersin making informeddecisionsforthe future. These
diverse usesunderscore the versatility andsignificance of pollen data
forbusinessesandhealthcare professionalsalike.
SuggestedRead: How Can Pollen Data Revolutionize The Digital
Healthcare Industry?
Needpollendataforyourbusiness?
Ambee provideshyperlocal real-time, forecast, andhistorical pollen
data. To explore how ourpollen offeringscan elevate yourproductsto
the next level, don't hesitate to contact usorleave a comment below.
Likedwhatyoujustread?Shareitwithafriend.
RelatedPosts
Have questions?
Getintouch!
EMAIL ID
EnteryourEmailID
MESSAGE
Writeyoumessagehere
SUBMIT
APIs Industries Products Resources Climate Company Login GET API FOR FREE