A new study published in the journal Nature Communications has shown that climate change has made allergy season longer and pollen counts higher.
Researchers who undertook the study found that if carbon emissions are not curbed, pollen season could start 10-40 days earlier and last 5-20 days longer, with pollen levels that could triple in some places.
According to Allison Steiner, PhD, one of the study co-authors and a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, while Warmer weather allows plants to start blooming earlier and continue to bloom later in the season, carbon dioxide in the air from burning fuels such as coal, gasoline, and natural gas helps plants produce more pollen.
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To come up with the study, the research team looked at 15 plant pollens in the U.S. and historical pollen data collected from 100 sites across North America, using computer simulations to calculate how long the allergy season will get and how pollen emissions will change as temperatures rise during the next 80 years.
They found that temperature and precipitation will affect daily pollen emissions based on the region and type of pollen even as the annual total pollen emission could increase 15% to 40% due to seasonal change and temperature-driven pollen production.
“What’s more, rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could increase pollen production by 200% by 2100,” they said.
A February 2021 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that across the U.S. and Canada, pollen season is starting about 20 days earlier and pollen loads are about 21% higher than in 1990.
The researchers who undertook the study found a strong link between global warming and longer pollen seasons.
In the most recent study, however, the research team found that the allergy season will be worst in the Southeast and that the start of alder tree pollen season would shift forward most dramatically, which could cause issues for the Pacific Northwest.
Cypress tree pollen, which is particularly strong in Texas, is expected to see among the highest increases while Ragweed and grasses, which spark the most common pollen allergies, will also have longer seasons and higher pollen counts.
Story was adapted from WebMD.
