JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — Waterways throughout the Chesapeake Bay region in Virginia and Maryland are amassing large amounts of pollen — a phenomenon driven by climate change, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).
The CBF says potentially billions of pollen grains have filled local rivers and the Bay to form pollen slicks, and it's getting worse in recent years.
A pollen "slick" is a visible accumulation of pollen on water. Typically, it appears as yellow or green.
Pollen peaks in April around the Chesapeake Bay region, where pine trees release clouds of pollen, the CBF says. You've seen them on cars, sidewalks, and just about every outdoor surface the past few weeks.
Eventually, the CBF says, allergy season will get worse due to climate change, with higher pollen counts that linger longer.
Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that, compared with 35 years ago, allergy season now starts weeks earlier and has 21% more pollen.
