Pollen forecasts in Europe
See which pollen types CAMS models, how to interpret grains per cubic metre and why pollen coverage depends on location and season.
Six pollen types
CAMS models alder, birch, grass, mugwort, olive and ragweed pollen for Europe. Each value is an estimated airborne concentration for a species, expressed in grains per cubic metre. A city panel shows available species individually because different plants release pollen at different times and places.
Pollen seasons vary with the species, region and weather. A missing species on a forecast panel can reflect the model domain, seasonal availability or an absent value. A numeric zero is a separate result for that model cell and hour.
How to interpret the estimate
The forecast describes a grid cell. Local vegetation and the conditions around a particular park, garden or street can affect the pollen present there. The European model dataset identifies some forecast variables as experimental, including pollen. Check the species, valid time and source before comparing estimates.
Pollen has its own units and remains separate from the European Air Quality Index, which uses five outdoor air pollutants. A city can show a Good AQI category during a period with pollen in the model.