Mar 20, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
Many places around the United States are experiencing a
record-breaking run of warm weather, but not everyone is embracing this
year's early spring.
The no-jacket-required temperatures, along with a set of other
complementary weather conditions, have sent trees into a flurry of
pollen production, setting the stage for the scratchy throats, itchy
eyes and achy noses that the allergy-afflicted among us know all too well.
On Weather Channel maps, large swaths of the country are shaded dark
red - the color code for "very high" tree pollen levels - from the
southeast to the Midwest to areas near the Rocky Mountains.
Triggered by a host of factors from soil and air temperatures to
moisture levels, trees and plants across the country are blooming two or
three weeks earlier than usual, according to Donald J. Leopold, a
professor and chair of the State University of New York's Department of
Environmental and Forestry Biology. "Everything is ahead everywhere,"
Leopold told OurAmazingPlanet. [Weirdo Weather: 7 Rare Weather Events]
It's
not pretty blooms like these, now on bright display in Atlanta, that
make allergies act up. It's homely flowers that lack the charms required
to attract pollinating insects - and thus depend on wind to disperse
their pollen - that can bring allergies on. Photo by Katherine Harrison.
A sprung spring
In Georgia, the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic recorded a record
8,164 pollen particles per cubic meter on Monday (Mar. 19), before the first day of spring. The previous record of 6,013 particles was set on April 12, 1999.
In Wisconsin last week, Gary C. Steven, an allergist who runs the
Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center, near Milwaukee, recorded a pollen
count of 3,409. "That's the second highest tree pollen count I've seen
in the last 17 years, and it was two weeks before we even normally start
counting," Steven said in an interview.
In fact, 2012 marks the earliest the doctor has ever climbed up to
the roof of his practice to set up the pollen counter, which catches the
offending particles much like glorified fly paper. It sucks in air and
traps the microscopic pollen on a sticky film. Only allergenic pollen is
recorded in counts, Steven said.
Balmy temperatures
aren't the only culprit behind the recent rash of allergy alerts. The
rain that's common come springtime essentially washes pollen from the
air, but many parts of the country have been fairly dry this year.
In addition, strong winds can bring in pollen from far away, Leopold
said, so some places are "getting a one-two punch: local pollen, and
material coming from the Midwest or the South."
"It's been very windy the last few days," Steven said, "and winds bring pollen."
A
fine dusting of pollen coats cars in Atlanta, where record-breaking
pollen counts were recorded this week. Photo by Jeffrey Harrison.
Pollen predictors
Also, favorable growing conditions in 2011 may have preserved more
pollen in the nation's trees than usual, priming 2012 for a banner
pollen year.
Flower buds, and thus the pollen they contain, form before trees
close up shop for the winter, Leopold said. "Those buds blooming now
were made last year," he said. The wimpy winter temperatures typical in the lower 48 states this season may have allowed more of those buds to survive.
However, since the pollen count for trees is predetermined the
previous year, once the trees run out, they're done. Yet that offers
little prospect for relief, Leopold said. Ragweed and other pests that
torment the allergy-prone keep on flowering as long as favorable
conditions persist.
"So unless the weather changes - and that's a big unknown - there's
the potential for a much longer open window for pollen dispersal and
pollen production for those plants," Leopold explained.
"When you get away from average conditions there are people and
animals and plants that really thrive, and people and animals and plants
that really suffer," he said.
Reach Andrea Mustain at amustain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaMustain. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.
Copyright 2012 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
No comments:
Post a Comment