Earlier this year the Met Office warned that hay fever could get worse due to climate change. And it's not just a hypothetical problem we may face in the future. In a recent paper, researchers dug into pollen trends over the last 26 years across the UK, focussing on grass, birch and oak pollen, to investigate how changing weather patterns are already affecting hay fever season.
While the work showed that climate change is certainly having an effect, the exact changes depend on which kind of pollen you're affected by. The season for birch pollen (the second most important type when it comes to hay fever, after grass pollen), is increasing in severity - meaning the total amount of pollen seen during the season is higher.
Oak pollen season is also starting earlier and lasting longer. But there's some good news regarding grass pollen: while the first day with high grass pollen levels seems to be getting earlier, the season doesn't appear to be getting worse.
The data in the study only goes as far as 2020, but Dr Beverly Adams-Groom, lead author of the paper and senior palynologist at the University of Worcester, says those trends appear to be continuing.
"The birch pollen season this year and in 2021 were among the very worst that we've ever seen," she says.
Pollen is a fine powder made by plants as part of their reproductive cycle and hay fever is an allergic reaction to proteins found on the pollen when it gets into our eyes, nose and throat.
Bu hikaye BBC Science Focus dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye BBC Science Focus dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
We can learn valuable lessons from the ‘polar bear capital of the world'
As the climate crisis pushes humans and animals closer together, it's crucial that we coexist with kindness
The aftermath
ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA
The map that may lead to a new obesity treatment
A better understanding of the pathways in the human hypothalamus has huge possibilities for medicine
Is creating a 'woolly mammoth mouse' a step too far for biotechnology?
Are scientists so preoccupied with whether or not they could bring back mammoths, that they're not concerned with whether they should?
GOING DEEP
An advanced new research station is being developed to explore the potential for a human settlement under the ocean
THE ASIAN PALM CIVET
The world might have paid little attention to the Asian palm civet, were it not for the Dutch settlers who planted coffee trees on the islands of Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, some 300 years ago.
Energy companies shift blame to consumers
Study finds top polluters weave 'eco-hero' narratives
ARE SATELLITES BURNING UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
About 13,000 satellites currently orbit Earth, roughly 10,000 of which are operational. But that number is set to skyrocket, with a staggering 50,000 new satellites on track to join them by 2030.
Earth's inner core may be changing its spin and its shape
Changes to seismic waves travelling through the planet could reveal unusual activity in Earth's core
WHY DO I FIND IT SO DIFFICULT TO SWITCH BETWEEN TASKS?
First, the good news is you’re not alone – most people are terrible at task switching. Secondly (and in even more good news), psychologists have been studying it for decades to figure out why.
