'We were a little surprised': Experts explain why your allergies might be worse than ever
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Allergy sufferers, brace yourselves—if you've been feeling the impact of your symptoms more than usual, it’s not just in your head.
New research has uncovered some surprising trends in pollen concentrations across major Australian cities, and it’s not good news for those prone to hay fever and asthma.
University of Queensland's latest findings revealed unexpected shifts in pollen patterns, making the climate change connection more complex than expected.
If your allergies have been hitting harder lately, you're probably not imagining it.
Two of Australia's capital cities have seen a major spike in grass pollen, and it's affecting millions.
A study by the University of Queensland uncovered a startling 200 per cent increase in pollen levels per decade in Canberra, while Sydney experienced a 34 per cent rise.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Nicholas Osborne initially expected climate change to lead to higher pollen counts nationwide.
However, Melbourne surprised the team with a 13 per cent reduction in pollen each decade.
‘We were a little surprised at first when the Melbourne results came through because we weren’t expecting a reduction over time in the amount of pollen. We thought it’s going to be warmer and dryer so the pollen is going to be in the air longer,’ Osborne shared.
In all three cities, the pollen season had lengthened, but several factors were masking the trend.
As Osborne and his team dug deeper into the data, they started considering extreme weather events and other anomalies over the last decade.
‘Glitches’ in regular weather patterns appeared to be influencing pollen levels, and the effects on human reactions were adding to the picture.
‘We started to look at when the Millennial Drought was, and when the La Niña and El Niño effects were occurring, it started to tell a story,’ Osborne said.
Understanding how these changes impacted pollen levels will require further investigation, but some theories were starting to form.
One clue was that tree pollen stayed high during the drought, while grass pollen remained low.
‘We started wondering whether the grass was making less pollen during the drought, or whether the grass was harvested early before it pollenated because the price was high,’ he said.
The rapid development in Melbourne’s western suburbs might also play a role.
Grasslands had been cleared to make way for new housing developments, potentially reducing pollen levels in some parts of the city.
Australia’s rate of sinus-related allergies is among the highest in the world, with asthma affecting 11 per cent of the population and hay fever 24 per cent.
Predicting future pollen trends, however, remains a challenge for health experts.
The link between pollen concentrations and climate change is far more complex than initially anticipated.
‘We’re pretty sure temperatures will keep rising, and extreme weather events will be more intense and more frequent, so this will make the prediction of pollen more difficult,’ Osborne said.
The full findings were published in the Science of the Total Environment journal.
In a previous story, we highlighted an unexpected recall that could affect allergy sufferers.
If you're concerned about hidden dangers in your pantry, it's worth checking out.
Read more about what you need to know here.
With such surprising shifts in pollen patterns, how are your allergies holding up this year? Share your experience in the comments below!
New research has uncovered some surprising trends in pollen concentrations across major Australian cities, and it’s not good news for those prone to hay fever and asthma.
University of Queensland's latest findings revealed unexpected shifts in pollen patterns, making the climate change connection more complex than expected.
If your allergies have been hitting harder lately, you're probably not imagining it.
Two of Australia's capital cities have seen a major spike in grass pollen, and it's affecting millions.
A study by the University of Queensland uncovered a startling 200 per cent increase in pollen levels per decade in Canberra, while Sydney experienced a 34 per cent rise.
Major pollen spike affecting millions across Australia. Image source: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
Lead researcher Associate Professor Nicholas Osborne initially expected climate change to lead to higher pollen counts nationwide.
However, Melbourne surprised the team with a 13 per cent reduction in pollen each decade.
‘We were a little surprised at first when the Melbourne results came through because we weren’t expecting a reduction over time in the amount of pollen. We thought it’s going to be warmer and dryer so the pollen is going to be in the air longer,’ Osborne shared.
In all three cities, the pollen season had lengthened, but several factors were masking the trend.
As Osborne and his team dug deeper into the data, they started considering extreme weather events and other anomalies over the last decade.
‘Glitches’ in regular weather patterns appeared to be influencing pollen levels, and the effects on human reactions were adding to the picture.
‘We started to look at when the Millennial Drought was, and when the La Niña and El Niño effects were occurring, it started to tell a story,’ Osborne said.
Understanding how these changes impacted pollen levels will require further investigation, but some theories were starting to form.
One clue was that tree pollen stayed high during the drought, while grass pollen remained low.
‘We started wondering whether the grass was making less pollen during the drought, or whether the grass was harvested early before it pollenated because the price was high,’ he said.
The rapid development in Melbourne’s western suburbs might also play a role.
Grasslands had been cleared to make way for new housing developments, potentially reducing pollen levels in some parts of the city.
Australia’s rate of sinus-related allergies is among the highest in the world, with asthma affecting 11 per cent of the population and hay fever 24 per cent.
Predicting future pollen trends, however, remains a challenge for health experts.
The link between pollen concentrations and climate change is far more complex than initially anticipated.
‘We’re pretty sure temperatures will keep rising, and extreme weather events will be more intense and more frequent, so this will make the prediction of pollen more difficult,’ Osborne said.
The full findings were published in the Science of the Total Environment journal.
In a previous story, we highlighted an unexpected recall that could affect allergy sufferers.
If you're concerned about hidden dangers in your pantry, it's worth checking out.
Read more about what you need to know here.
With such surprising shifts in pollen patterns, how are your allergies holding up this year? Share your experience in the comments below!
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