Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: National Aerobiological Monitoring Networks

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the launch of a Collection in Aerobiology entitled “Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: National Aerobiological Monitoring Networks”, which aims to provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of aerobiological monitoring activities worldwide. This Topical Collection will gather concise short review papers from senior experts representing countries with well-established aerobiological monitoring systems.

The goal of this collection is to document the historical development, methodological evolution, and scientific achievements of national aerobiological networks, offering an invaluable reference for researchers, public health authorities, and environmental policymakers. By presenting harmonized, country-specific overviews, this Topical Collection will strengthen international collaboration and support evidence-based improvements in aerobiological monitoring, forecasting, and research. Manuscripts should be prepared in the form of short review papers.

Suggested Structure for Submitted Manuscripts

Authors are invited to follow a unified structure to ensure comparability across countries and to highlight the unique characteristics of each monitoring network.

1. Historical Background and Current Infrastructure

• Overview of the network’s development from its establishment to the present day.
• A chronological table summarizing key milestones (e.g., establishment of the first monitoring station(s); adoption of standardized methods; hosting of major international aerobiology events; introduction of forecasting models; transition to automated monitoring technologies; relevant institutional reorganizations).
• Operational details presented in a Gantt chart showing the development of the monitoring network and the availability of data over time. Monitoring stations should be listed with coordinates and trap height (m, a.g.l.) in rows (the first established station appearing in the first row), with operational years displayed in columns.
• Availability of monitoring data in the European Aeroallergen Network database or other online repositories.
• A map illustrating the geographical distribution of aerobiological monitoring stations.

2. Aerobiological characteristics of the country (preferably supported by citations).

• Overview of monitored pollen and fungal taxa, as well as other bioaerosols.
• Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) and pollen calendar for dominant taxa.

3. Key Scientific Contributions and Lessons Learned (preferably supported by citations).

• Summary of the most significant national publications, with concise descriptions of major findings, policy impacts, and contributions to aerobiological knowledge.
• Ecological or climatic drivers influencing airborne pollen and spore levels.
• Notable long-term trends (e.g., climate-related shifts, invasive species, and emerging taxa).
• Reflections on methodological challenges, network development, data interpretation issues, and future perspectives.

We anticipate that this Topical Collection will attract broad international participation and generate high-impact, widely cited contributions. By bringing together national overviews in a harmonized format, Aerobiology will provide the first global comparative compendium of aerobiological monitoring systems.

We warmly invite prospective authors to contribute to this Topical Collection and to share the unique history, development, and scientific achievements of their country’s aerobiological monitoring network.

Dr. Donát Magyar
Dr. Athanasios Damialis
Dr. David J. O'Connor
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerobiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• aerobiological monitoring
• aerobiological networks
• historical development
• methodological evolution
• scientific achievements
• aerobiology