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SAMPLING THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE AEROBIOLOGICAL TRANSLATION LAYER IN LEON (SPAIN)

Paul Comtois, Univ. of Montreal, Montreal, PQ, Canada; and S. Rodier, R. Valencia, D. Fernandez, J. L. Sanchez, and R. Fraile

In the summer (May and June) of 1997, 21 flights of a tethered balloon (2,25m) were realized. Meteorological data were obtained every 10 seconds for the whole duration of each flight with an ADAS remote station, while pollen grains and fungal spores were collected at 200, 400 and 600m for 15 minutes with an original remote controlled three headed GABIS sampler, using the Rotorod design. Two control samples were also taken at ground level, at the beginning and end of each flight. Contrary to what is generally believed, pollen grains were, in most cases, more abundant at altitude above 400m, making evident a long range transport layer at this altitude. Moreover, the content of this layer was taxonomically different from the one collected at ground level., with tree pollens (mainly Castanea, Oleaceae and Quercus) dominating at higher altitudes, compared to preominent Plantago and Poaceae at ground levels.

The 13th Conference on Biometeorology and Aerobiology