Meteorological variation effect on aerobiology--new tools on pollen forecasting

Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA) includes 22 research groups implied in the biological analysis of the air from 50 observation sites extended over the Iberian Peninsula and Baleares Islands. To offer in-advance information for pollen allergy sufferers, doctors and health authorities is one of REA priorities. One of our objectives is the study of the influence of meteorological variations on the quantity and occurrence of pollen in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, to include only weather parameters is not enough for build accurate forecasts. Field phenology data, vegetation land cover, topography data and previous aerobiological data should be included in the models. Meteorological conditions control the start, duration, intensity and end of the pollen season, but their effect depends on the different types of vegetation. The biological response of tree pollination is highly differentiated from the herbaceous one. Another important point is the adaptation of a given species phetnology to different climatic areas. We showed the different phenoclimatic variables determining tree flowering in the Mediterranean climate areas and in the Atlantic climate ones of the Iberian Peninsula, and the consequences on the development of our forecasting models. Finally we comment our more recent studies that use geostatistic algorithms as a tool for including all the cited parameters and also space variables as altitude, latitude and orientation to sun.