The pollen season is lengthening and intensifying due to global warming

The researchers found that in the northeastern United States, the pollen seasons of allergenic trees are increasingly overlapping. The Southeast, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, can expect a big increase in grass pollen.

In general, the pollen season in the north will change more than in the south, due to the greater rise in temperatures, but more allergens will be released into the atmosphere everywhere.

The study looked specifically at the situation in the United States, but similar mechanisms will also unfold in other regions and on other continents.

And as said, this is not future music. A 2021 study found that the pollen season in North America was already 20 days longer that year than it was in 1990, and that pollen concentrations in the atmosphere had increased by about 21 %.

Increased pollen levels in the future will have a much bigger impact than just more runny noses and headaches. Seasonal allergies affect around 30% of the population and also have an economic impact, from medical bills to missed days of work, the authors write.

Zhang and Steiner’s study is published in Nature Communication† This article is based on a text by Zhang and Steiner in The conversation†