Determination on atmospheric pollen grains of Gelibolu (Çanakkale) district

Pollen grains are atmospheric bio-organic aerosols, most of which are classified as respiratory allergens. Pollen allergy is a known global plague on human health. With the increase of people with pollen sensitivity, it is becoming more critical day to day, especially in developed countries and urban areas. In this study, airborne pollen quantities, diversity, and annual variation were carried out for three years, from January 2018 to December 2020 in Gelibolu (Çanakkale) atmosphere. Durham sampler, which is for the gravimetric method, was used in the research. A total of 43749 pollen were determined; of these, 40252 (92.01%) belong to woody (34 taxa) and 3450 (7.89%) belong to herbaceous (20 taxa) plants. Identified and counted 11303 pollen belonging to the first year (2018), 15287 to the second (2019), and 17159 to the third year (2020). The most abundant pollen types in the atmosphere were; Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (51.02%), Pinus (25.09%), Olea europea (4.21%), Quercus (3.67%), Platanus (2.46%), Poaceae (1.88%), Fraxinus (1.68%), Ambrosia (1.51%), Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae (1.32%), and Urticaceae (1.08%). The highest pollen amounts were recorded in march (3927 pollen) based on a 3-year average, and this is due to the presence of a high number of pollen belonging to the Cupressaceae/Taxaceae in the air. March-May term is an overlap of pollination periods and can be thought of as a risky period for sensitive individuals in the region. The stated pollen calendar for this region can be useful for visitors to this famous tourist center and for allergy sufferers to make a definitive diagnosis.