Recent warming by latitude associated with increased length of ragweed pollen season in central North America.

ABSTRACT: A fundamental aspect of climate change is the potential shifts in flowering phenology and pollen initiation associated with milder winters and warmer seasonal air temperature. Earlier floral anthesis has been suggested, in turn, to have a role in human disease by increasing time of exposure to pollen that causes allergic rhinitis and related asthma. However, earlier floral initiation does not necessarily alter the temporal duration of the pollen season, and, to date, no consistent continental trend in pollen season length has been demonstrated. Here we report that duration of the ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) pollen season has been increasing in recent decades as a function of latitude in North America. Latitudinal effects on increasing season length were associated primarily with a delay in fir

SUBMITTER: Ziska L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3053965 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature