Long-term monitoring reveals climate change impacts on airborne pollen and Alternaria spore seasons in Parma

Seasonal respiratory allergies are increasing in prevalence and severity worldwide. Airborne pollen and Alternaria spores can be considered the proxy for aeroallergen exposure; long data sets allow to investigate trends over time. This study examines meteorological and aerobiological data from 1997 to 2023 in Parma (Italy). Start, end, duration, date and peak value, seasonal pollen integral of the main allergenic taxa, temperatures, relative humidity and rainfall were analyzed. Trend analysis was performed. Significant increases in average and seasonal temperatures; earlier onset for Corylus and Poaceae, later onset for Betula were observed. The end date for Poaceae and Total pollen was delayed; duration of pollen seasons was longer for Poaceae and Total pollen, shorter for Betula and Ambrosia. By providing long-term, locally specific evidence on climate-related changes in aeroallergen seasonality, this study supports climate-resilient environmental surveillance and timelier public-health prevention.