Comparative aerobiological study between two stations located at different points in a coastal city in southern Spain

Due to the increase in allergies, aerobiological studies carried out in cities are essential to keep the population informed about the pollen atmospheric concentrations detected. However, the high cost and complexity of aerobiological studies often means that the information is generated from a single sampling point what may not be representative of the entire city. So, the precision and functionality of the information and alert systems for allergy sufferers can be reduced. This effect may be increased in coastal cities or in those with an asymmetric growth. In this study, the data obtained by two volumetric pollen traps, located in the coastal city of Malaga (Spain) were analyzed. One of the pollen traps was situated in the city center while the other was in the outskirts of the city, 5 km away from the first. Despite being located within the same city, the data obtained from both collectors showed significant differences in the relative abundance and annual integrals of the main pollen types, as well as in the periods in which elapse their main pollen seasons, probably due to being located in areas with quantitative differences in land uses. These differences were more notable in the case of ornamental plants, weeds that usually appear in brownfields sites, and some taxa that predominate in the agro-forestry areas of the outskirts. For all the above, we consider that it is important to keep operational several sampling points in cities of a certain magnitude to provide more detailed information about atmospheric pollen concentrations.