Title: Threshold velocity of pollination in urban area of the city of Brno

Authors: J. Pospisil; M. Jicha

Addresses: Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technicka 2, 61669 Brno, Czech Republic. ' Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technicka 2, 61669 Brno, Czech Republic

Abstract: Wind velocity directly influences pollen release rate from mother plants and subsequently, the transport of pollen grains. The threshold velocity of pollination is defined as the lowest wind velocity with evidence of pollen concentration above the threshold pollen concentration. Only a limited number of published papers deal with the relationship between wind velocity and pollen concentration. The results of in situ measurements were used for the analysis of the relation between the wind velocity and pollen concentration in an urban canopy layer. Subsequently, numerical modelling (CFD code StarCD) was used for the parametrical studies that tested the influence of the wind velocity on pollen release from the mother plant and the resulting pollen dispersion in a ground boundary layer.

Keywords: particulate matter; CFD; computational fluid dynamics; dispersion modelling; particle re-suspension; street canyons; wind speed; pollen release rate; pollen transport; pollen grains; threshold velocity; pollination; pollen concentration; urban canopy layers; wind velocity; pollen dispersion; Czech Republic.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2012.049672

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2012 Vol.48 No.1/2/3/4, pp.252 - 261

Published online: 19 Nov 2014 *

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