Airborne pollen of Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae in Malaga (S. Spain) and its relationship with meteorological parameters

Abstract

In this work we present the airborne pollen measurements of Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae in Málaga during the 1992-1997 period. The study was carried out whit the aid of a volumetric spore-trap (Burkard seven-day recorder) located on the flat roof of the Faculty of Medicine, 1 km far from the city centre. We have also analysed the seasonal and intradiurnal variations and their relationship with the meteorological parameters by means of the Spearman's correlation test. This pollen type was mainly detected in the atmosphere of Málaga from late March to early October, with a maximum peak in Spring (April) and other smaller one during Summer. The mean daily pollen concentrations were not very high and they did not usually reach more than 50 pollen grains per cubic meter of air. The pattern of intradiurnal distribution was very uniform for all the years studied, the maximum peaks obtaining at the same hour (14:00 Spanish official Time), representing more than 15% of total daily pollen. However, we observed important differences in the quantities of total annual pollen througout the different years studied, and the maximum peaks detected, probably due to the differences in the cumulative rainfalls prior (two months before) to the pollination period. The correlations obtained between the daily pollen concentrations and the different meteorological parameters show that the presence of this pollen type in the air of Malaga is positively associated with the previous rainfall and wind direction.