The Role of Weather Patterns on the Production of
Allergenic Airborne Pollen and Spores

Dr. Elisabeth Levac
Environmental Studies and Geography

PROFILE

Dr. Levac is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Geography at Bishop’s University, where she teaches in the areas of physical geography, oceanography, and weather systems. She completed a B.Sc. in Physical Geography and a M. Sc. in Earth Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and a Ph.D. degree in Earth Sciences at Dalhousie University. In 2005, she worked as a post-doctoral fellow for the Halifax Pollen and Spores Monitoring Experiment at St. Mary’s University. She taught at St. Francis Xavier University, Dalhousie University, and St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia before coming to Bishop’s University. Dr. Levac conducts research in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, more specifically on abrupt climate changes during the Holocene, on interactions between climate systems and human cultures, and on pollen monitoring. She works in collaboration with researchers from the Geological Survey of Canada, Memorial University of Newfoundland and St. Francis Xavier University. She is part of the Environmental Sciences Research Centre (ESRC) http://esrc.stfx.ca/. She is president-elect of the Canadian Association of Palynologists for 2008 http://www.scirpus.ca/cap/cap.shtml. She is adjunct professor at the Université de Sherbrooke, in the department of Géomatique Appliquée and is currently looking for master students to assist with her projects and work in her laboratory.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

One of Dr. Levac’s research projects is studying the impact on health of airborne pollen combined with high concentrations of air pollutants. She chose to collect data in Lennoxville, Quebec where the air quality is generally good even though smog from the United States occasionally affects the town. She will determine the role of weather and weather patterns in the dispersal of pollen and on pollen levels in the air, compare weather dispersal patterns in Lennoxville with those in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she conducted similar monitoring, and examine the relationship between pollen and spore concentrations, smog level, and local hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It is estimated that 15% of Canadians suffer from allergic rhinitis also known as hay fever (Statcan 2004). Pollen and spores released in the air are inhaled and trigger allergies in sensitive individuals and can even trigger asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Weather is an important variable in the occurrence of rhinitis. Anemophilous plants want to maximize the changes for fertilisation and therefore release massive amounts of pollen when weather conditions are optimal for dispersal towards other individuals of the same species. Pollen concentrations also show a diurnal cycle, with peaks usually occurring in the early afternoon. Weather patterns can affect the timing of this peak. Concentrations of pollen will be high on sunny days, low on rainy days. The start of the flowering season will vary for each plant and from year to year at a given location with climatic conditions.

Real time pollen monitoring is critical to help allergy sufferers manage their symptoms more efficiently. In addition to gathering data, Dr. Levac will also provide daily pollen counts and forecasts on the Web site of the Lennoxville Experimental Pollen and Spore Forecast (http://ubishops.ca/pollen) to allergy sufferers to help them reduce their summer activities outdoors at certain time of the day or adjust their medication. Data gathered over the next few years will be analyzed. Dr. Levac collaborates with David Waugh, Environment Canada in Dartmouth and David Richardson, St. Mary’s University, in Nova Scotia.

Funding of the 2006 and the 2007 pollen monitoring seasons from the ETRC and the SRC are acknowledged. The assistance of Amber Ashley (BA with honours, Bishop's University, 2006), Vanessa Stretch (geography major Bishop's University) and Simone Sandercombe (geography major and honour’s student, Bishop's University), is greatly acknowledged.

November 2007