Characterisation of the airborne pollen spectrum in Guadalajara (central Spain) and estimation of the potential allergy risk

Aerobiological research into airborne pollen diversity and seasonal variations in pollen counts has become increasingly important over recent decades due to the growing incidence of asthma, rhinitis and other pollen-related allergic conditions. Airborne pollen in Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) was studied over a 6-year period (2008–2013) using a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap. The highest pollen concentrations were recorded from February to June, coinciding with the pollen season of the pollen types that most contribute to the local airborne pollen spectrum: Cupressaceae (32.2 %), Quercus (15.1 %), Platanus (13.2 %), Olea (8.3 %), Populus (7.8 %) and Poaceae (7.2 %). These are therefore critical months for allergy sufferers. The pollen calendar was typically Mediterranean and comprised 25 pollen types. Between January and March, Cupressaceae pollen concentrations exceeded allergy risk thresholds on 38 days. Other woody species such as Olea and Platanus have a shorter pollen season, and airborne concentrations exceeded allergy risk thresholds on around 13 days in each case. Poaceae pollen concentrations attained allergy risk levels on 26 days between May and July. Other highly allergenic pollen types included Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, though these are less abundant than other pollen types in Guadalajara and did not exceed risk thresholds on more than 3 and 5 days, respectively.     

Airborne load of Cassia pollen in West Bengal, eastern India: its atmospheric variation and health impact

A Burkard personal volumetric sampler was used at Sriniketan, a town about 150 km northwest of Calcutta, in the state of West Bengal, in eastern India to record the frequency of three common airborne Cassia pollen types, Cassia tora, Cassia occidentalis, and Cassia fistula for two consecutive years (2004–2006). Correlation was made between the meteorological factors and the pollen concentration in the atmosphere. The study reports Cassia pollinosis by in vivo skin prick test in respiratory allergic patients. The highest positive reactions were exhibited by C. tora (34.7 %), C. fistula (33.3 %), and C. occidentalis (28.5 %). The allergic potential of these was investigated by in vitro enzyme linked immunosorbent assay test. Their protein components were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, in the range of 15.8–81.5 kDa. In C. occidentalis and C. fistula, 11 bands were found, while it was 10 in C. tora. The results show that the Cassia pollen occur significantly in the atmosphere with the potential to elicit an allergic response in susceptible patients.     

Analysis of airborne pollen fall in Nicosia (Cyprus)

Airborne pollen distribution in the city of Nicosia (Cyprus) was measured volumetrically during two consecutive years 2007–2008 on weekly basis using Lanzoni trap (Lanzoni VPPS 2000). A total of 7,880 pollen grains/m³ belonging to 44 taxa, in 2007 were 3,593 pollen grains/m³ and in 2008 it was 4,287 pollen grains/m³, were determined. Out of these, 25 belonged to the arboreal and 19 to the non-arboreal taxa. At the end of 2 years, total pollen counts were 78.76% arboreal, 19.32% non-arboreal, and 1.92% unidentified taxa. The number of pollen in the arboreal plants followed the trend as Pinaceae (29.96%), Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (18.33%), Olea europaea L. (6.92%), and Quercus spp. (4.92%), and for non-arboreal representatives, these were Poaceae (8.46%), Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae (2.61%), Plantago spp. (1.69%), and Parietaria spp. (1.51%). The distribution of pollen in the atmosphere of Nicosia followed the trend as March, April, May, and June.     

Aerobiological, clinical, and immunobiochemical studies on Alstonia scholaris pollen from eastern India

Alstonia scholaris or Indian devil tree is a common, evergreen, tropical tree of the Apocynaceae family. The objectives of this study were (a) to observe the seasonal variation of A. scholaris pollen in the atmosphere of an industrial and rural area of West Bengal, India by conducting a 2-year aerobiological survey with a Burkard personal volumetric sampler, (b) to study its allergenicity in the local population by in vivo (skin-prick test) and in vitro tests (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dot blotting), (c) to identify the immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding proteins present in the pollen extract (sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting), (d) to study its chemical composition. A. scholaris pollen were present in the air from September until November. They contained 14.3 % carbohydrate, 9.2 % lipid, and 4.3 % protein. Among 140 respiratory allergic local patients, 28.57 % showed positive skin reaction to A. scholaris pollen extract. Twelve protein bands in the range of 94.4–13.3 kDa were observed in the pollen extract. Seven IgE-binding proteins were found. Among them, one component of 29.9 kDa was the most important in A. scholaris pollen extract. This component could be purified and would be helpful in the diagnosis and therapy of A. scholaris pollen-susceptible patients.     

Annual and intradiurnal variation of dominant airborne pollen and the effects of meteorological factors in Çeşme (Izmir,Turkey)

In this present study, airborne pollen in Çe?me was investigated between February 17, 2012 and February 17, 2014 using the volumetric method. Çe?me, one of Turkey’s most important tourism centers, which attracts numerous local and foreign tourists each year, is a district of Izmir, a province in the western part of Turkey. During the 2-year study, 12,905 pollen grains belonging to 64 taxa (33 arboreal, 31 non-arboreal plants) were detected. However, the 2-year data results revealed that the taxa with the pollen concentration more than 4% in the atmosphere were Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (4268 pollen, 33.07%), Olea europaea (1614 pollen grains, 12.51%), Pinaceae (1085 pollen grains, 8.41%), Quercus spp. (1081 pollen grains, 8.38%), Pistacia spp. (743 pollen grains, 5.76%), and Poaceae (557 pollen grains, 4.32%), all of which comprised 72.44% of the total count. The relationship between the daily pollen counts belonging to these six taxa and the hourly average temperature (°C), daily precipitation (mm), relative humidity (%), and wind speed (km/h) was assessed using the Spearman correlation test, and significant results were determined. During the study, the intradiurnal distribution of the aforementioned pollen varied. The highest pollen concentration was detected between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (first year 30.3%; second year 30.1%).     

Platanus pollen season in Andalusia (southern Spain): trends and modeling

Platanus is a major cause of pollen allergy in many Spanish cities. The present paper reports an analysis of Platanus pollen season throughout the Andalusia region (southern Spain), which has among the highest pollen counts and the highest incidence of Platanus-related allergies in Europe. The main aim was to analyze pollen season trends from 1992 to 2010 in Andalusia; models were also constructed to forecast the start of the season. Daily pollen counts were recorded using Hirst-type volumetric spore-traps. Pollen season start-dates were very similar at all sites, usually occurring in March. The pollen season was delayed over the study period. The Pollen-season duration and Pollen index generally increased throughout the study period. The starting date for temperature accumulation was around the 10th February, although the threshold temperatures varied by site. The regional model for Andalusia failed to provide sufficiently accurate results compared with sub-regional or local models. For modeling purposes, three sub-regions are recommended: Inland, East Coast and West Coast.     

Can tree species diversity be assessed with Landsat data in a temperate forest?

The diversity of forest trees as an indicator of ecosystem health can be assessed using the spectral characteristics of plant communities through remote sensing data. The objectives of this study were to investigate alpha and beta tree diversity using Landsat data for six dates in the Gönen dam watershed of Turkey. We used richness and the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices to calculate tree alpha diversity. We also represented the relationship between beta diversity and remotely sensed data using species composition similarity and spectral distance similarity of sampling plots via quantile regression. A total of 99 sampling units, each 20 m × 20 m, were selected using geographically stratified random sampling method. Within each plot, the tree species were identified, and all of the trees with a diameter at breast height (dbh) larger than 7 cm were measured. Presence/absence and abundance data (tree species number and tree species basal area) of tree species were used to determine the relationship between richness and the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices, which were computed with ground field data, and spectral variables derived (2 × 2 pixels and 3 × 3 pixels) from Landsat 8 OLI data. The Shannon-Weiner index had the highest correlation. For all six dates, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) was the spectral variable most strongly correlated with the Shannon index and the tree diversity variables. The Ratio of green to red (VI) was the spectral variable least correlated with the tree diversity variables and the Shannon basal area. In both beta diversity curves, the slope of the OLS regression was low, while in the upper quantile, it was approximately twice the lower quantiles. The Jaccard index is closed to one with little difference in both two beta diversity approaches. This result is due to increasing the similarity between the sampling plots when they are located close to each other. The intercept differences between two investigated beta diversity were strongly related to the development stage of a number of sampling plots in the tree species basal area method. To obtain beta diversity, the tree basal area method indicates better result than the tree species number method at representing similarity of regions which are located close together. In conclusion, NDVI is helpful for estimating the alpha diversity of trees over large areas when the vegetation is at the maximum growing season. Beta diversity could be obtained with the spectral heterogeneity of Landsat data. Future tree diversity studies using remote sensing data should select data sets when vegetation is at the maximum growing season. Also, forest tree diversity investigations can be identified by using higher-resolution remote sensing data such as ESA Sentinel 2 data which is freely available since June 2015.     

Airborne rice pollen and pollen allergen in an agricultural field: aerobiological and immunochemical evidence

Grass pollens are well known among the health hazardous bioaerosols causing respiratory allergy. Being an important member of the grass family, the rice plants contribute a huge pollen load in agricultural fields during flowering. This results in a seasonal trigger of hay fever and respiratory allergy in the field workers and people living in the vicinity. Studies on the monitoring of airborne rice pollen and the intensity of the released allergen in agricultural fields are largely lacking. The aims of the present study were: (1) daily and hourly monitoring of airborne rice pollen in an agricultural field during the flowering period of plants in a winter crop season by using the Burkard 7-Day Volumetric Sampler and (2) the measurement of hourly airborne allergen intensity in the field in a peak rice pollen period by the double-antibody and chemiluminescence techniques to find out its relationship with the airborne rice pollen concentration. The monthly average concentration of rice pollen was 95 pollen m(-3) and the range of daily average pollen concentration was 0 to 386 pollen m(-3). A bimodal diurnal periodicity showed that the airborne rice pollen concentrations remained high at two different times of the day: between 08:00 h to 12:00 h and 14:00 h to 16:00 h. Deposition of airborne rice pollen allergen showed darker intensities on the immunostained tapes from the Burkard Sampler at the same two positions corresponding to higher pollen counts. These observations provided direct evidence of the allergenicity of airborne rice pollen in field conditions.     

Airborne pollen of ornamental tree species in the NW of Spain

This study analyzed airborne pollen counts for the tree taxa most widely used for ornamental purposes in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (Platanus, Cupressaceae, Olea, Myrtaceae, Cedrus, and Casuarina) at four sites (Vigo, Ourense, Santiago, and Lugo), using aerobiological data recorded over a long period (1993?C2007). The abundance and the temporal and spatial distribution of these pollen types were analyzed, and the influence of weather-related factors on airborne pollen counts was assessed. Platanus (in Ourense) and Olea (in Vigo) were the taxa contributing most to pollen counts. In general terms, the results may be taken as indicators of potential risk for pollen-allergy sufferers and therefore used in planning future green areas.     

Airborne pollen in European and Asian parts of Istanbul

Pollen concentrations in the atmosphere of Istanbul, a city located between two continents, has been monitored for 1 year as part of a larger research program. The sampling sites were located in two different continents: the Asian part (AS) and the European part (EP). The sampling was performed in AS and EP of the city by using Hirst type volumetric method, and pollen grains of 58 and 62 taxa were identified in the two parts, respectively. The pollen spectrum reflected the floristic diversity of the region. The main pollen producers at the sites were characterized by some allergenic pollen and were identified as Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Urticaceae, Pistacia sp., Quercus sp., Platanus sp., Fraxinus sp., and Xanthium sp. These pollen types contributed to the total pollen sum with a percentage of more than 80% at both monitoring sites. The highest amount of pollen grains was recorded in April. The greatest number of species was recorded in May, when 42 types (AS) and 44 types (EP) were present.     

Seasonal perspective of dietary arsenic consumption and urine arsenic in an endemic population

Exposure to arsenic in arsenic endemic areas is most remarkable environmental health challenges. Although effects of arsenic contamination are well established, reports are unavailable on probable seasonal variation due to changes of food habit depending on winter and summer seasons, especially for endemic regions of Nadia district, West Bengal. Complete 24-h diets, drinking–cooking water, first morning voided urine samples, and diet history were analyzed on 25 volunteers in arsenic endemic Chakdah block of Nadia district, once in summer followed by once in winter from the same participants. Results depicted no seasonal variation of body weight and body mass index. Arsenic concentration of source drinking and cooking water decreased (p?=?0.04) from 26 μg L^?1 in summer to 6 μg L^?1 in winter season. We recorded a seasonal decrease of water intake in male (3.8 and 2.5 L day ^?1) and female (2.6 and 1.2 L day^?1) participants from summer to winter. Arsenic intake through drinking water decreased (p?=?0.04) in winter (29 μg day^?1) than in summer (100 μg day^?1), and urinary arsenic concentration decreased (p?=?0.018) in winter (41 μg L^?1) than in summer (69 μg L^?1). Dietary arsenic intake remained unchanged (p?=?0.24) over the seasons. Hence, we can infer that human health risk assessment from arsenic needs an insight over temporal scale.     

Study of atmospheric stagnation, recirculation and ventilation potential at Narora Atomic Power Station NPP site

The atmosphere is an important pathway to be considered in assessment of the environmental impact of radioactivity releases from nuclear facilities. The estimation of concentration of released effluents in air and possible ground contamination needs an understanding of relevant atmospheric dispersion. This paper describes the meteorological characteristics of Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) Nuclear Power Project site by using the integral parameters developed by Allwine and Whiteman (Atmospheric Environment 28(4):713–721, 1994). Meteorological data measured during the period 2006–2010 were analysed. The integral quantities related to the occurrence of stagnation, recirculation and ventilation characteristics were studied for the NAPS site to assess the dilution potential of the atmosphere. Wind run and recirculation factors were calculated for a 24-h transport time using 5 years of hourly surface measurements of wind speed and direction. The occurrence of stagnation, recirculation and ventilation characteristics during 2006–2010 at the NAPS site is observed to be 33.8, 19.5 and 34.7 % of the time, respectively. The presence of strong winds with predominant wind direction NW and WNW during winter and summer seasons leads to higher ventilation (48.1 and 44.3 %) and recirculation (32.6 % of the summer season). The presence of more dispersed light winds during pre-winter season with predominant wind directions W and WNW results in more stagnation (59.7 % of the pre-winter season). Thus, this study will serve as an essential meteorological tool to understand the transport mechanism of atmospheric radioactive effluent release from any nuclear industry during the pre-operational as well as operational phase.     

Estimation of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice field with rice straw management in Cambodia

To estimate the greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields of Cambodia, the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines, IPCC coefficients, and emission factors from the experiment in Thailand and another country were used. Total area under rice cultivation during the years 2005–2006 was 2,048,360 ha in the first crop season and 298,529 ha in the second crop season. The emission of methane from stubble incorporation with manure plus fertilizer application areas in the first crop season was estimated to be 192,783.74 ton higher than stubble with manure, stubble with fertilizer, and stubble without fertilizer areas. The fields with stubble burning emitted the highest emission of methane (75,771.29 ton) followed by stubble burning with manure (22,251.08 ton), stubble burning with fertilizer (13,213.27 ton), and stubble burning with fertilizer application areas (3,222.22 ton). The total emission of methane from rice field in Cambodia for the years 2005–2006 was approximately 342,649.26 ton (342.65 Gg) in the first crop season and 36,838.88 ton (36.84 Gg) in the second crop season. During the first crop season in the years 2005–2006, Battambang province emitted the highest amount of CH₄ (38,764.48 ton) and, in the second crop season during the years 2005–2006, the highest emission (8,262.34 ton) was found in Takeo province (8,262.34 ton). Nitrous oxide emission was between 2.70 and 1,047.92 ton in the first crop season and it ranged from 0 to 244.90 ton in the second crop season. Total nitrous oxide emission from paddy rice field was estimated to be 9,026.28 ton in the first crop season and 1,091.93 ton in the second crop season. Larger area under cultivation is responsible for higher emission of methane and nitrous oxide. Total emission of nitrous oxide by using IPCC default emission coefficient was approximately 2,328.85 ton. The total global warming potential of Cambodian paddy rice soil is 11,723,217.03 ton (11,723 Gg) equivalents of CO₂.     

Heavy metals in the habitat and throughout the food chain of the Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis, in protected Mexican wetlands

Top predators like the Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis annectens, are usually considered good bioindicators of habitat quality. In this study, we evaluated heavy metal contamination (Hg_tot, Pb, Cd) in the riverine habitat, prey (crustaceans and fish), and otter feces in two Ramsar wetlands with contrasting upstream contamination discharges: Río Blanco and Río Caño Grande in Veracruz, Mexico, during the dry, the wet, and the nortes seasons. Most comparisons revealed no differences between sites while seasonal differences were repeatedly detected for all of the compartments. Higher concentrations of Pb during the dry season and of Cd during the wet season in otter feces mirrored differences detected in the most seasonally consumed prey. Compared with fecal methylmercury values reported for the European otter (0.25–0.75 mg kg^?1) in unprotected areas, the Hg_tot levels that we measured were lower (0.02–0.17 mg kg^?1). However, Pb (117.87 mg kg^?1) and Cd (9.14 mg kg^?1) concentrations were higher (Pb, 38.15 mg kg^?1 and Cd, 4.72 mg kg^?1) in the two Ramsar wetlands. Protected areas may shelter species, but those with water-linked diets may suffer the effect of chemicals used upstream.     

Evaluating the environmental sustainability of biomass-based energy strategy: Using an impact matrix framework

A roadmap for a more sustainable energy strategy is complex, as its development interacts critically with the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. This paper applied an impact matrix method to evaluate the environmental sustainability and to identify the desirable policy objectives of biomass-based energy strategy for the case of Alberta. A matrix with the sustainability domains on one axis and areas of environmental impact on the other was presented to evaluate the nexus effect of policy objectives and bioenergy production.As per to our analysis, economic diversification, technological innovation, and resource conservation came up as the desirable policy objectives of sustainable development for Alberta because they demonstrated environmental benefits in all environmental impact categories, namely climate change, human health, and ecosystem. On the other hand, human health and ecosystem impacts were identified as trade-offs when the policy objectives for sustainability were energy security, job creation, and climate change. Thus, bioenergy can mitigate climate change but may impact human health and ecosystem which then in turn can become issues of concern. Energy strategies may result in shifting of risks from one environmental impact category to another, and from one sustainable domain to another if the technical and policy-related issues are not identified.     

Analysis of selected biomonitors to evaluate the suitability for their complementary use in monitoring trace element atmospheric deposition

The biomonitoring properties of oak tree bark compared with the epiphytic moss Hypnum cupressiforme and the influence of the tree bark, as its growth substrate, on the content of heavy metals in moss were investigated. Samples of the epiphytic moss H. cupressiforme and oak tree bark (Quercus spp.) were collected in Eastern Romania at a total of 44 sampling sites. Parallel moss and bark samples were collected from the same sides of the trunk circumference. V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, In, Tl, Sn, Pb, and Bi were determined by ICP-MS. Principal component analysis was used to identify possible sources of metals in bark and moss. Six factors explaining 87 % of the total variance in the data set were chosen. The main factors represent long-range atmospheric transport of elements (Zn, Cd, (Pb), Bi, (Mo), (Tl)), local emissions from industrial sources (As, Cr, Ni, V), road traffic (Pb, Zn) and agricultural activities (Cu, (Zn)). The element concentrations in moss and bark samples are of the same order of magnitude. For almost all the elements, higher concentrations were obtained in moss. Significant correlations between concentrations in moss and bark samples were obtained for 7 of the 13 elements: V, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, In, and Bi, all typical anthropogenic pollutants. The use of tree bark for monitoring purposes might be an alternative in areas where there is a scarcity of mosses.     

Acid soil indicators in forest soils of the Cherry River Watershed, West Virginia

Declining forest health has been observed during the past several decades in several areas of the eastern USA, and some of this decline is attributed to acid deposition. Decreases in soil pH and increases in soil acidity are indicators of potential impacts on tree growth due to acid inputs and Al toxicity. The Cherry River watershed, which lies within the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, has some of the highest rates of acid deposition in Appalachia. East and West areas within the watershed, which showed differences in precipitation, stream chemistry, and vegetation composition, were compared to evaluate soil acidity conditions and to assess their degree of risk on tree growth. Thirty-one soil pits in the West area and 36 pits in the East area were dug and described, and soil samples from each horizon were analyzed for chemical parameters. In A horizons, East area soils averaged 3.7 pH with 9.4 cmol_c kg^???1 of acidity compared to pH 4.0 and 6.2 cmol_c kg^???1 of acidity in West area soils. Extractable cations (Ca, Mg, and Al) were significantly higher in the A, transition, and upper B horizons of East versus West soils. However, even with differences in cation concentrations, Ca/Al molar ratios were similar for East and West soils. For both sites using the Ca/Al ratio, a 50% risk of impaired tree growth was found for A horizons, while a 75% risk was found for deeper horizons. Low concentrations of base cations and high extractable Al in these soils translate into a high degree of risk for forest regeneration and tree growth after conventional tree harvesting.     

Effect of 30 years of road traffic abandonment on epiphytic moss diversity

Road traffic emits a cocktail of pollutants that can influence the vegetation and plant diversity in neighboring areas. However, the recovery potential of bryophytes after traffic abandonment is still little explored. In addition, the effects of the main pollutants of road verges, such as metals and salinity, on moss flora need to be investigated. In our study, we compared the moss richness and diversity in two closely related veteran tree allees of high conservation importance. The allees in Gry?ów and Lubrza, Poland, were chosen because of their similarity in age, geographical location, type of surrounding areas, and tree species. The only difference was that the trees in Gry?ów had not been exposed to direct road pollution for almost 30 years. The moss richness and diversity differed significantly between the sites. Altogether, 20 moss species were recorded on 229 trees, 17 species in Gry?ów (abandoned road), and 13 in Lubrza (busy road). We found considerable differences between moss cover on the road-facing and opposite sides of tree trunks. In Lubrza, mosses on the road-facing side were very scarce. The moss cover in Gry?ów was highly balanced between trunk sides as well as among trunk heights. Typical epiphytic species such as Bryum moravicum, Dicranoweisia cirrata, Leskea polycarpa, and Orthodicranum tauricum preferred the Gry?ów tree stands, where they were present in numbers almost twice as high as that at Lubrza. The study shows that constructing a bypass road could be an effective conservation measure for veteran tree protection with their epiphytic moss flora.     

Monitoring of biophysical parameters of cashew plants in Cambodia using ALOS/PALSAR data

An accurate estimation of a plant's age is required for the prediction of yield and management practices. This study demonstrates the relationship between backscattering properties (σ°) of Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) dual polarimetric data with cashew plants' biophysical parameters (height, age, crown diameter, diameter at breast height, basal area, tree density, and biomass) in Cambodia. PALSAR σ° has shown a positive correlation with the biophysical parameters of cashew plants. The value of σ° increases with the age of cashew plants. At a young stage, the cashew plants show a higher rate of an increase in σ° compared to that at the mature stage. The σ° horizontal polarization transmitted and vertical received (HV) shows higher sensitivity to the plant's growth than σ° horizontal polarization transmitted and received (HH). High backscattering and low variations were observed at mature stage (8–12 years) of cashew plantation. Saturation in backscattering has shown from the age of about 13 years. The validation results indicate strong coefficient of determination (R ²?=?0.86 and 0.88) for PALSAR-predicted age and biomass of cashew plants with root mean square error?=?1.8 years and 16.3 t/ha for age and biomass, respectively. The correlations of σ° (HH) with biophysical parameters observed in the dry season were better than those of the rainy season because soil moisture interferes with backscattering in the rainy season. Biomass accumulation rate of cashew plants has been predicted that would be useful for selection of plants species to enhance carbon sequestration. This study provides an insight to use PALSAR for the monitoring of growth stages of plants at the regional level.     

Spatiotemporal analysis of the effect of climate change on vegetation health in the Drakensberg Mountain Region of South Africa

The impact of climate change on mountain ecosystems has been in the spotlight for the past three decades. Climate change is generally considered to be a threat to ecosystem health in mountain regions. Vegetation indices can be used to detect shifts in ecosystem phenology and climate change in mountain regions while satellite imagery can play an important role in this process. However, what has remained problematic is determining the extent to which ecosystem phenology is affected by climate change under increasingly warming conditions. In this paper, we use climate and vegetation indices that were derived from satellite data to investigate the link between ecosystem phenology and climate change in the Namahadi Catchment Area of the Drakensberg Mountain Region of South Africa. The time series for climate indices as well as those for gridded precipitation and temperature data were analyzed in order to determine climate shifts, and concomitant changes in vegetation health were assessed in the resultant epochs using vegetation indices. The results indicate that vegetation indices should only be used to assess trends in climate change under relatively pristine conditions, where human influence is limited. This knowledge is important for designing climate change monitoring strategies that are based on ecosystem phenology and vegetation health.