A high-volume air sampler has been installed at the BioSense Institute in Novi Sad, Serbia. Its purpose is to collect
total suspended particulate matter from the ambient air without selecting for specific particle sizes. The vacuum
motor pulls air onto the 1.6-micron glass fiber filter at a flow rate of 80-100 cubic meters per hour over a
constant sampling period. The filter is then analysed to determine the identity of the particulates through
environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing.
SYLVA is developing the first end-to-end protocol for affordable sampling and identification of airborne bioaerosols
using Nanopore's 3rd generation eDNA sequencing technology: an ultimate method to identify the entire spectrum of
bioaerosols, including those undetectable by other instruments.
The sampler is custom made by BioSense in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
SYLVA General Assembly 2024 to convene in Bavarian Alps
SYLVA General Assembly will gather from April 9th to 12th, 2024, in Eibsee and at the
Schneefernerhaus Environmental Research Station (UFS), located respectively at the foot of Germany's
highest mountain, the Zugspitze, and just below its summit, at an altitude of 2,650 meters. The UFS
is part of SYLVA's high-altitude pilot study.
Besides annual technical reporting, the agenda will focus on foundational discussions regarding the
legal and technical organisation of the SYLVA infrastructure and the user-friendly expansion of the
SYLVA bioaerosol monitoring network.
Stay tuned!
Pollen can be detected at high altitudes!
The POMO automatic bioaerosol monitor, set up in
extreme conditions near the summit of the Zugspitze mountain in the
Bavarian Alps at an elevation of 2,650 meters, has detected hazel and alder pollen.
Hazel pollen already in flight
The hazel pollen season has begun in Switzerland! Will we be able to observe these pollen particles
as part of the SYLVA high-altitude pilot? Time will tell...
SYLVA sparks interest in automated bioaerosol monitoring in Northern Europe
The SYLVA project generated considerable interest at the annual 'Aerobiology in Northern Europe: State
of the art and next steps' event, hosted this year by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Many Baltic
and Nordic researchers were highly engaged with the emerging automated bioaerosol monitoring
infrastructure
developed by SYLVA. The event triggered extensive discussions regarding the potential for countries not
yet participating to join the SYLVA initiatives.
Schneefernerhaus webcam: POMO thrives amidst alpine snow
Happy New Year! We'd like to start 2024 with some wonderful shots taken from the Schneefernerhaus Live Webcam, where you can
see that our POMO is full of snow and
performing perfectly. The first photograph was taken at 7:00 a.m. on December 16, 2023, and the second at 11:00 a.m.
SYLVA expands: New automated pollen monitor installed high in the Alps
The POMO automated pollen monitor has been
installed on the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. It is positioned at an altitude of 2,650 meters at the
Schneefernerhaus Environmental Research Station (UFS).
Last week, the monitor was almost completely covered by snow. Despite these conditions, sampling continued
uninterrupted, thanks to the monitor's efficient supplementary heating system.
The SYLVA project is running three pilot studies to test automated bioaerosol monitoring technologies in
extreme European environments: (1) the cold and humid Arctic, (2) the hot and dusty southern Mediterranean, and (3)
a range of altitudes in the Alps. Bioaerosols, or biological aerosols, primarily consist of pollen and fungal spores
by mass but also include bacteria and viruses.
Kick-off to SYLVA in Finnish Lapland
The SYLVA kick-off meeting was held from February 8th to 10th, 2023, in Levi, Finland, and included a visit to Pallas Atmosphere-Ecosystem Supersite located 170 km north of the Arctic Circle in the area of Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. Pallas supersite
will host several bioaerosol monitors during the Northern pilot study, and the visit allowed to better
understand logistical requirements and assess installation options.
The SYLVA team preparing to visit Pallas supersite
