Pollen load maps for Europe and hints for the holiday
Pollen information within Europe is of high quality and therefore it is feasible to produce maps of Europe with the expected average pollen load of the most important pollen types and to provide them for your holiday planning. Those maps bundle data from more than 300 measurement sites of the EAN database spread over whole Europe and display the average pollen load of the last ten years. Four maps are provided for each month (for a period of ten days).
The color code indicates the intensity of the load (white=no load, green=low load, yellow=moderate load, orange=high load, red=very high load). The maps are available for the most important pollen types (hazel, alder, cypress family, ash, birch, plane tree, olive, grasses, rye, nettle family, mugwort and ragweed). Deviations are possible due to extreme climatic conditions - the maps only show the expected average load.
It makes a dramatic difference where and when a pollen allergy sufferer is on holiday. The change of location and climate should quieten, because air, altitude of the location and temperature determine the swelling of the mucous membranes besides the personal cause for allergies. Here you find hints how to increase the recreational value of your holiday.
It is important to avoid possible loads for your holiday planning, so that your days off can be enjoyed. At best you holiday lead to avoiding the time of burden at home.
Use the pollen load maps for Europe! There are some hints you should follow in advance and which are the most frequent error sources for the holiday - most of them caused by cross reaction due to closely related pollen allergens:
- Birch pollen is avoided in April best in the South at the coast
- High concentrations of plane tree pollen occur within Europe in the South from March to April
- Grasses grow everywhere - but it is an error to go North in July because grasses are there at full flower in this time; grasses flower also in the mountains, although later then at low elevations - you should inform yourself about the current pollen forecast
- olive tree is widely distributed in the Mediterranean countries and olive pollen is predominantly from May to June in the air - for ash pollen allergy sufferers it could be crucial to avoid this pollen type due to a possible cross reaction
- Parietaria should be mentioned as well for Mediterranean countries, because it is widely distributed in the South of Europe and of higher allergenicity than nettle - plants of the nettle family floor in South Europe earlier than in Austria!
- there are no "pollen free" regions, because pollen can be transported over far distances; but you can find relieve in regions "poor of pollen"
- fungal spore allergy sufferers should go to locations of dry heat - as an example to the Mediterranean in summer or to sites or more than 1000 meters elevation - because the load of fungal spores is lower there. Likewise you should be vigilant about a dry and suitable accommodation (humid walls could contain an unpleasant surprise).