Dr Beverley Adams-Groom

dr-beverley-adams-groom

Chief Palynologist and Pollen Forecaster

Research and Commercial Services

Contact Details

email: b.adams-groom@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905855411

Beverley is a leading expert in pollen forecasting and provides the UK and Ireland with forecasts for all the main airborne allergens, aided by colleagues in the pollen forecast team, and working in association with the UK Met Office. The main discipline for this work is Aerobiology, which is the study of the production, emission and dispersal of biological particles (bioaerosols).

Beverley is also involved in the field of Palynology, which is the study of microscopic biological particles (mainly pollen and spore identification). She applies this in the quality assurance of honeys for the UKs honey companies and analysts. This is a form of forensic work, involving identification of pollen extracted from honey of various countries to ensure the origin and floral composition. Beverley has also worked extensively on crime cases, applying palynology to produce evidence of links between suspect and crime scene.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Environmental Science (Worcester)
PhD by Publication in Forensic Palynology (Worcester)

Research

Beverley has recently produced a body of work on pollen levels in surface soil and is currently working on the characterisation of UK honeys and the production of regional pollen calendars for the UK. She is also interested in projects using molecular analysis of pollen to identify pollen and fungal spores.

Beverley is a member of the Aerobiology and Palynology Research Group and an associate member of the Ecology and Environment Research Group at the University Of Worcester.

Teaching

Beverley teaches UMS students and advises MRes and PhD students, as well as independent study students. Currently teaching on the following courses:

Infectious Agents & Allergens (Yr 2 at University Of Worcester)
Biological Indicators of Crime (Yr 3 at University Of Worcester)
MSc Allergy Course (Yr 1 at Imperial College)

Professional Bodies

International Honey Association

International Association for Aerobiology

Recent Publications

Adams-Groom B, Skjoth CA, Baker M & Welch T. 2017. Modelled and observed surface soil pollen deposition distance curves for isolated trees of Carpinus betulus, Cedrus atlantica, Juglans nigra and Platanus acerifolia. Aerobiologia, 33(3): 407-416

Adams-Groom B. Assessment of pollen assemblages on footwear for evidence of pollen deriving from a mock crime scene: a contribution to forensic palynology. Grana, DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2017.1310293

Khwarahm NR, Dash J, Skjoth CA, Newnham RM, Adams-Groom B, Caulton E & Atkinson PM. 2016. Mapping the birch and grass pollen seasons in the UK using satellite sensor time-series. Science of the Total Environment, 578: 586-600

Newsome N, Adams-Groom B. 2017. Seasonal variation in surface soil pollen taxa over twelve months in three English mature woodlands. Grana,56(6): 377-385

Sadys M, Adams-Groom B, Herbert RJ & Kennedy R. Comparisons of fungal spore distributions using air sampling at Worcester, England (2006-2010). Aerobiologia, published online 30th March 2016. DOI 10.1007/s10453-016-9436-4

Skjoth CA, Bilinska D, Werner M, Malkiewicz M, Adams-Groom B, Kryza M & Drzeniecka-Osiadacz A. Footprint areas of pollen from alder (Alnus) and birch (Betula) in the UK (Worcester) and Poland (Wroclaw) during 2005-2014. Acta Agrobotanica, 68(4): 315-324 DOI: 10.5586/aa.2015.044

Skjoth, C.A, Werner M, Kryza M, Adams-Groom B, Wakeham A, Lewis M, Kennedy R. 2015. Quality of the Governing Temperature Variables in WRF in relation to Simulation of Primary Biological Aerosols. Advances in Meteorology. doi:10.1155/2015/412658

Hawkins J, d Vere N, Griffith A, Ford R, Allainguillaume J, Hegarty M, Baillie L, Adams-Groom B. 2015. Using DNA metabarcoding to identify the floral composition of honey: A new tool for investigating honey bee foraging preferences. PLOS One, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0134735

Adams-Groom B. 2015. Frequency and abundance of pollen taxa in crime case samples from the United Kingdom, Grana, 54,2: 146-155

Skjoth, C.A., Baker, P., Sadys M., Adams-Groom, B. 2015. Pollen from alder (Alnus sp.), birch (Betula sp.) and oak (Quercus sp.) in the UK originate from small woodlands. Urban Climate, 14, 414-428

Fernández Rodriguez S, Adams-Groom B, Silva Palacios I, Caeiro E, Brandao R, Ferro R, Gonzalo Garijo Á, Smith M & Tormo Molina R. (2014). Comparison of Poaceae pollen counts recorded at sites in Portugal, Spain and the UK. Aerobiologia. Online: April 2014

Khwarahm N, Dash J, Atkinson P.M, Newnham R.M, Skjoth C.A, Adams-Groom B, Caulton E & Head K. 2014. Exploring the spatio-temporal relationship between two key aeroallergens and meteorological variables in the United Kingdom. Int. J. Biomet., 58,4:529-545

Newnham RM, Sparks TH, Skjoth CA, Head K, Adams-Groom B & Smith M. 2013. Pollen season and climate: Is the timing of birch pollen release in the UK approaching its limit? Int J Biometeorol., 57, 3: 391-400

Adams-Groom B. Forensic Palynology. In: Marquez-Grant N & Roberts J (Eds). 2012. Forensic Ecology Handbook. Wiley-Blackwell