Pollen content of the atmosphere of Malaga: year 1994

Abstract

Pollen analysis content in the atmosphere of Málaga: 1994. During 1994 a pollen content analysis of the atmosphere has been carried out in Málaga (southern Spain) with the aim to release the obtained results. The sampling was made with the aid of a Burkard spore-trap (Hirst method) located on the roof of the Faculty of Medicine of Málaga University, about 15 m obove ground level. The pollen data, expresed in grains per cubic metre, were obtained counting four lengths of the slide with a 40X objective (0,45 mm field). During this year, we have observed that about 90% of total pollen was collected from the last week of January to June, with two maximum peaks in April and May, months that gets together about 50% out of total annual. On the contrary, the lowest monthly concentration was detected from July to December. Along this period, the most important taxa in the atmosphere of Málaga were Cupressaceae and Olea europaea followed by Quercus, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Plantago, Urticaceae and Casuarina, in importance order. So, the different peaks that occur along the year are fundamentally due, to Cupressaceae in January-February; Cupressaceae, Pinus and Platanus in February; Quercus, Plantago and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae in April; Olea and Poaceae in May and Casuarina in October.