Clouds as habitat and seeders of active bacteria

Details Clouds as habitat and seeders of active bacteria Clouds as habitat and seeders of active bacteria

Feb 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002spie.4495..211s&link_type=abstract

Proc. SPIE Vol. 4495, p. 211-222, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology IV, Richard B. Hoover; Gilbert V. Levin; R

Biology

Scientific paper

Transformation of organic and inorganic material in the atmosphere has been presumed to be caused by physical and chemical processes in the gas phase and in aerosol particles. Here we show that bacterial metabolism can play a measurable role in the production and transformation of organic carbon in cloud droplets collected at high altitudes, even at temperatures at or well below 0 degree(s)C. Although bacterial abundance and biomass in cloud water is low, compared to other oligotrophic aquatic environments, growth and carbon production rates per cell are approximately as high as in aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesize that microorganisms could play a crucial role in the transformation of airborne organic matter and the chemical composition of snow and rain. It has been recognized, the microbes can act as cloud condensation nuclei but we consider the impact on the global climate as low. With an increasing trend in cloudiness cloud systems can be seen as an ecosystem for active microbes with a seeding effort both for aquatic and terrestrial realms. Furthermore, air currents can distribute microbes over long distances to remote areas e.g. like ice caps and snow fields.

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