Help for allergy sufferers: DWD wants to better measure pollen count

Symptoms range from sneezing attacks, a scratchy throat, and itchy eyes to allergic asthma: A pollen allergy is extremely unpleasant. The German Weather Service (DWD) now wants to help those affected by it by setting up a network of fully automated pollen monitors. Sixteen of these devices are to be installed across Germany by 2027, as the DWD announced in a press conference on Thursday. Once operational, the system will provide allergy sufferers with the most up-to-date information on pollen counts in their area.

"In Germany, approximately 15 million adults and 11 million children suffer from pollen allergies. With the pollen monitors, we want to contribute to health care," Christina Koppe, head of the Climate and Environmental Advisory Department at the DWD, told the German Editorial Network. As a result of climate change, the problem of pollen allergies is becoming more severe, Koppe explains: "When plants are exposed to stress from drought and heat, the composition of the proteins in their pollen changes. This can lead to an increase in the pollen's aggressiveness."

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In addition, winters are becoming milder, which means pollen plants are blooming earlier and earlier. The first plant of the year that can trigger allergies is the hazel. "It used to be the case that flowering began in March, but today the hazel often blooms as early as mid-February, or in January, and occasionally even in December," says Koppe. For late-blooming pollen plants such as mugwort and ragweed, which also trigger allergies in many people, the flowering time has hardly changed; it lasts from October to November. "This means that for people with multiple allergies, there is only a very short respite," says Koppe.

But how can pollen monitors help? And how do they actually work? The monitors are primarily installed in urban areas, where a particularly high number of people suffer from allergies. At the same time, symptoms can be exacerbated by air pollutants.

According to the DWD, the measuring devices can be imagined like an automatic microscope. Pollen from the outside air is sucked in. It is then automatically examined digitally under a microscope and photographed at approximately 180 different focal planes. This produces over 60,000 photos per sample, which an artificial intelligence system can use to identify the different pollen types. The data is transmitted to the DWD's Center for Medical Meteorological Research in Freiburg, where it is processed. It is then expected to be published within one to four hours of the measurement.

The pollen monitors transmit data four times a day during the flowering season, and even hourly during very intense pollen counts. Outside of the pollen season, measurements are taken at least once a day. They can detect the most important allergenic pollen species, such as hazel, alder, ash, birch, grasses, rye, mugwort, and ragweed, as well as 26 other species.

The German Weather Service (DWD)'s automatic pollen monitor is installed on the tower of the Maritime Weather Office in Hamburg. A total of 16 of these devices are to be installed throughout Germany.

Source: German Weather Service

If those affected have access to the most up-to-date pollen measurements in the future, it can make managing allergies easier. "With medications, for example, it's important that they are taken on time to ensure they work properly. Ideally, first thing in the morning," says Koppe.

If allergy sufferers are better informed about pollen counts, they can take their allergy medications more effectively—long-term medication is then no longer absolutely necessary. Outdoor activities can also be better planned and scheduled for times when pollen counts are low. This also makes it easier to ventilate the home.

Some people who can afford it in terms of time even plan their vacations around pollen counts, Koppe knows: "The birch, for example, is beginning to bloom in the southwest of the country. If I'm allergic, it might be a good idea to plan my vacation at that time on the North Sea and return before the pollen starts to pick up there."

The German Weather Service already offers a forecast for the eight most important pollen species on its website . According to Koppe, data from the new pollen monitors could help improve these forecasts in the future.