Pollen season: Artificial light makes it longer

THE pollen have had significant life extensions, all because of the artificial night lighting towns. Those who suffer from pollen allergies know this well. Spring is the real nightmare of those who suffer from the abundance of pollen in the air. Red and watery eyes, endless sneezing and allergic rhinitis are common.

However, this is common knowledge, on the other hand, people may not know that the pollen season is longer for a very specific reason. The answer lies in the artificial night lights of the cities that affect the life of the cities plant and theirs circadian rhythms. A big word that in simpler terms indicates the regulation of sleep and wakefulness of plants in relation to sunlight.

The impact is significant. In the United States, artificial light strongly anticipates phenological events (related to plant development, ed) spring and postpone autumn. By the end of the century, annual pollen emissions are likely to increase by 16-40 percent, taking into account variations in rainfall and degrees Celsius alone.

Yuyu Zhou, one of the authors of the study

The study was published in PNAS Nexus. In practice, the traditional seasons will suffer from this. Spring will be 10-40 days earlier and last 2-19 days longer.

We breathe a mixture of pollen from different times of the year. We still think in terms of winter and spring, instead we see more and more sudden cold waves. It is not certain that there will be more pollen, but there will certainly be a climate that will irritate allergy sufferers. It is likely that in the future it will become drier and drier in the spring and certain plants will no longer flower.

Renato Ariano, head of Aaito, an association of allergists and immunologists

In short, the pollen seasons overlap. Consider that in the past the oaks released pollen before the birch.