Forecasting airborne pollen during climate change

Global warming is advancing and lengthening the pollen season as well as increasing the pollen concentration, which threatens the health of about 81 million people in the US who are allergic to pollen. The increasing risk to public health calls for an accurate near-term forecast of pollen concentration, which can provide early warning for allergy sufferers and clinics. We propose to use novel statistical tools to improve our understanding of pollen phenology and build a better pollen prediction model by assimilating multiple data resources.

We are also cooperating with Nature's Notebook in motivating citizen pollen observations. You are welcome to join us as Pollen Trackers and help us spread the campaign!