Files
Abstract
Pollen allergy, known as “hay fever”, has become an annual epidemic due to the increasing number of pollens produced each year. While low allergenic planting choices can alleviate a large portion of the issue, this study aims to explore other possible ways landscape design can serve to mitigate pollinosis by lowering the quantity of airborne pollen in partially enclosed exterior spaces (Ogren 2015). Gathering information from several areas of knowledge, it asks: Can design components other than planting choice remediate airborne pollen? Then, what relationship is there between the design components and pollen count?
Based on a review of the literature on methods to collect the environmental data of interest, data were collected over a span of 4 weeks in September and October in 3 outdoor courtyards on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia, USA. Data collected include pollen counts, windspeed, relative humidity, temperature, courtyard dimensions, site analyses, and vegetation density and its layer distribution within each site. The pilot study revealed a significant correlation between relative humidity and pollen count; however, the finding was supported and extended to include temperature in the main study only when the data points were averaged by collection zones. There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate any direct relationships, but finding that vegetation density affects airflow, the findings suggest that there may be some complex relationship between pollen count and vegetation density that needs further study.
Based on a review of the literature on methods to collect the environmental data of interest, data were collected over a span of 4 weeks in September and October in 3 outdoor courtyards on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia, USA. Data collected include pollen counts, windspeed, relative humidity, temperature, courtyard dimensions, site analyses, and vegetation density and its layer distribution within each site. The pilot study revealed a significant correlation between relative humidity and pollen count; however, the finding was supported and extended to include temperature in the main study only when the data points were averaged by collection zones. There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate any direct relationships, but finding that vegetation density affects airflow, the findings suggest that there may be some complex relationship between pollen count and vegetation density that needs further study.