by Meryl Phair
Throughout the spring months Stockbridge residents experienced a significant dusting of pollen which collected on cars, triggered seasonal allergies, and left two feet of yellow coloring at the water’s edge of Stockbridge Bowl. Pollen is essential for plant reproduction and vital to the healthy functioning of ecosystems. One in every three bites of food we eat relies on the work of pollinators! While spring pollen is an annual and necessary occurrence, this year pollen was particularly heavy as a result of climate change.
New research from the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences studied pollen data from 60 monitoring stations across North America from 1990 to 2018. The data showed an average increase in pollen concentrations by 21 percent and a lengthening of pollen seasons by 20 days. The study concluded climate change had significantly contributed to worsening pollen seasons over the past three decades in being responsible for 50% of the lengthening season trend and 8% of the concentration trend. Additional experimental greenhouse studies showed warmer temperatures and heightened carbon dioxide concentrations caused increased pollen production. An article from the New York Times stated that the effects of the exacerbated pollen season were most observable in Texas, the Midwest and the Southeast while New England and the Great Lakes states experienced less of an observable difference from past seasons.
The increasing levels of pollen present serious implications to public health. Many people experience seasonal allergies but more serious respiratory conditions such as asthma will continue to get worse as pollen concentrations increase. Studies have revealed pollen affects cognitive performance, meaning students do less well in school, and creates a greater probability for contracting other respiratory viruses. As the world continues to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory viruses are a relevant concern.
Climate change affects ecosystems and upsets the normal functions of the natural world. These changes aren’t always apparent to the human eye, especially in towns like Stockbridge where melting glaciers and desert droughts are far off realities. Despite this, the swirling clouds of pollen residents have coughed their way through this year are a reminder that as human activities continue to warm our home, threats to respiratory health will continue to increase.
