What is the height of the current installation?
How is the distance from the current location to the "somewhere else nearby" location and what will be the future height?
The current height is 3 m above ground on a moderate slope. The distance to the new location is ca. 50 m uphill at a height of ca. 15 m. The total difference in height is ca. 20 m.
Be aware that at an installation height of 3 m your trap is influenced by local pollen emissions. Shifting the trap 50 m uphill can result in a discontinuity in your pollen time-series. In most European pollen networks the recommendation is given to install the trap in a height of ca. 30 m in order to represent the regional and not the local pollen load.
Dear Franziska, my opinion is that the 3m of the first spore-trap was too low, and that you will measure better the regional pollen rain with a spore-trap at 15 m.
The two spore-traps (Hirst type) I run in Modena and Vignola (ca. 15 km far from each other, northern Italy) were located at the top of buildings at about 15 m height. They were at the same height and in two different urban contexts.
I observed that the station located of Vignola, a small town, was very influenced by the local pollen rain, especially because of the high trees in the gardens.
The station located in Modena was in a more open area, at the periphery of the city, and therefore the pollen captured arrived from a more regional area.
The seasonal trends were very similar in the two stations. My opinion is that the location in an open area was a further important factor besides the height to obtain a regional pollen rain.
Thanks Anna Maria and Uwe. Time will show the effects of the changes in the data. I also expect the position on the rooftop to represent the regional load better.
As Uwe said, my time series will change and I will have to find a solution to that.
Best regards
Recommended height is 15m when you want to monitor city based studies. If your problem is to study the spread of plant pathogen and forecasting, it is better at 3m within the field.
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