Are your eyes itchy? Does your nose run? Springtime pollen from ash, alder, hazel, birch, and other trees is in the air – and now being measured in real time from Córdoba in Spain to Pallas in Finland.
The EU project SYLVA, coordinated by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and funded by the EU Horizon programme, is developing cutting-edge monitoring technologies and infrastructure for biological particles such as pollen, fungal spores, certain algae, and bacteria.
“SYLVA is developing and testing breakthrough monitoring technologies, which deliver near real-time data about bioaerosols. From previous campaigns, we know these machines work under normal conditions. This year, we are testing them in extreme environments,” says Research Professor Mikhail Sofiev at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. He is the coordinator of the SYLVA project.
Testing monitoring technology from mountaintops to Mediterranean plains
Demonstration sites have been launched across Europe to test how reliably the technology performs in diverse biogeographic and climatic regions – from southern Spain to northern Finland, and from lowlands to high-altitude Alpine stations.
“These field trials will demonstrate how SYLVA innovations can bring new data for public health, agriculture, and forestry. The data is publicly available within a few hours through the EBAS database. We also offer detailed characterization of bioaerosols using third-generation DNA sequencing techniques,” explains Mikhail Sofiev.
Over 80 million Europeans are allergic to pollen, with health-related costs exceeding €50 billion annually. Traditional pollen monitoring methods are outdated and slow. SYLVA’s automated technology addresses this challenge by providing rapid, reliable, and location-specific data across Europe.
SYLVA also provides the technological backbone of the emerging EUMETNET AutoPollen network, which connects aerobiological teams across Europe and coordinates the development of the next generation bioaerosol monitoring and modelling.
