Bioaerosols on the atmospheric super highway: An example of long distance transport of Alternaria spores from the Pannonian Plain to Poland

Abstrakt

Alternaria spores are pathogenic to agricultural crops, and the longest and the most severe sporulation seasons are predominantly recorded in rural areas, e.g. the Pannonian Plain (PP) in South-Central Europe. In Poland (Central Europe), airborne Alternaria spore concentrations peak between July and August. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the PP is the source of Alternaria spores recorded in Poland after the main sporulation season (September–October). Airborne Alternaria spores (2005–2019) were collected using volumetric Hirst spore traps located in 38 locations along the potential pathways of air masses, i.e. from Serbia, Romania and Hungary, through the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine, to Northern Poland. Three potential episodes of Long Distance Transport (LDT) were selected and characterized in detail, including the analysis of Alternaria spore data, back trajectory analysis, dispersal modelling, and description of local weather and mesoscale synoptic conditions. During selected episodes, increases in Alternaria spore concentrations in Poznań were recorded at unusual times that deviated from the typical diurnal pattern, i.e. at night or during morning hours. Alternaria spore concentrations on the PP were very high (>1000 spores/m3) at that time. The presence of non-local Ambrosia pollen, common to the PP, were also observed in the air. Air mass trajectory analysis and dispersal modelling showed that the northwest part of the PP, north of the Transdanubian Mountains, was the potential source area of Alternaria spores. Our results show that Alternaria spores are transported over long distances from the PP to Poland. These spores may markedly increase local exposure to Alternaria spores in the receptor area and pose a risk to both human and plant health. Alternaria spores followed the same atmospheric route as previously described LDT ragweed pollen, revealing the existence of an atmospheric super highway that transports bioaerosols from the south to the north of Europe.

Autorzy

Łukasz Grewling
Łukasz Grewling
Donát Magyar
Donát Magyar
Kazimiera Chłopek
Kazimiera Chłopek
Agnieszka Grinn-Gofroń
Agnieszka Grinn-Gofroń
Julia Gwiazdowska
Julia Gwiazdowska
Asad Siddiquee
Asad Siddiquee
Nicoleta Ianovici
Nicoleta Ianovici
Idalia Kasprzyk
Idalia Kasprzyk
Janka Lafférsová
Janka Lafférsová
Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska
Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska
Dorota Myszkowska
Dorota Myszkowska
Victoria Rodinkova
Victoria Rodinkova
Mykyta Bortnyk
Mykyta Bortnyk
Małgorzata Malkiewicz
Małgorzata Malkiewicz
Ondřej Rybníček
Ondřej Rybníček
Jana Ščevková
Jana Ščevková
Branko Šikoparija
Branko Šikoparija
Carsten A. Skjøth
Carsten A. Skjøth
Matt Smith
Matt Smith
Paweł Bogawski
Paweł Bogawski
artykuł
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Angielski
2022
819
153148
otwarte czasopismo
CC BY-NC-ND Uznanie autorstwa-Użycie niekomercyjne-Bez utworów zależnych 4.0
ostateczna wersja opublikowana
w momencie opublikowania
2022-01-15
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