Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems
Bacteria are constantly being transported through the atmosphere, which may have implications for human health, agriculture, cloud formation, and the dispersal of bacterial species. We simulate the global transport of bacteria, represented as 1 μm and 3 μm diameter spherical solid particle tracers i...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:acp510 2023-05-15T18:40:37+02:00 Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems Burrows, S. M. Butler, T. Jöckel, P. Tost, H. Kerkweg, A. Pöschl, U. Lawrence, M. G. 2018-01-15 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/9281/2009/ eng eng doi:10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/9281/2009/ eISSN: 1680-7324 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 2019-12-24T09:57:35Z Bacteria are constantly being transported through the atmosphere, which may have implications for human health, agriculture, cloud formation, and the dispersal of bacterial species. We simulate the global transport of bacteria, represented as 1 μm and 3 μm diameter spherical solid particle tracers in a general circulation model. We investigate factors influencing residence time and distribution of the particles, including emission region, cloud condensation nucleus activity and removal by ice-phase precipitation. The global distribution depends strongly on the assumptions made about uptake into cloud droplets and ice. The transport is also affected, to a lesser extent, by the emission region, particulate diameter, and season. We find that the seasonal variation in atmospheric residence time is insufficient to explain by itself the observed seasonal variation in concentrations of particulate airborne culturable bacteria, indicating that this variability is mainly driven by seasonal variations in culturability and/or emission strength. We examine the potential for exchange of bacteria between ecosystems and obtain rough estimates of the flux from each ecosystem by using a maximum likelihood estimation technique, together with a new compilation of available observations described in a companion paper. Globally, we estimate the total emissions of bacteria-containing particles to the atmosphere to be 7.6×10 23 –3.5×10 24 a −1 , originating mainly from grasslands, shrubs and crops. We estimate the mass of emitted bacteria- to be 40–1800 Gg a −1 , depending on the mass fraction of bacterial cells in the particles. In order to improve understanding of this topic, more measurements of the bacterial content of the air and of the rate of surface-atmosphere exchange of bacteria will be necessary. Future observations in wetlands, hot deserts, tundra, remote glacial and coastal regions and over oceans will be of particular interest. Text Tundra Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 9 23 9281 9297 |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
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English |
description |
Bacteria are constantly being transported through the atmosphere, which may have implications for human health, agriculture, cloud formation, and the dispersal of bacterial species. We simulate the global transport of bacteria, represented as 1 μm and 3 μm diameter spherical solid particle tracers in a general circulation model. We investigate factors influencing residence time and distribution of the particles, including emission region, cloud condensation nucleus activity and removal by ice-phase precipitation. The global distribution depends strongly on the assumptions made about uptake into cloud droplets and ice. The transport is also affected, to a lesser extent, by the emission region, particulate diameter, and season. We find that the seasonal variation in atmospheric residence time is insufficient to explain by itself the observed seasonal variation in concentrations of particulate airborne culturable bacteria, indicating that this variability is mainly driven by seasonal variations in culturability and/or emission strength. We examine the potential for exchange of bacteria between ecosystems and obtain rough estimates of the flux from each ecosystem by using a maximum likelihood estimation technique, together with a new compilation of available observations described in a companion paper. Globally, we estimate the total emissions of bacteria-containing particles to the atmosphere to be 7.6×10 23 –3.5×10 24 a −1 , originating mainly from grasslands, shrubs and crops. We estimate the mass of emitted bacteria- to be 40–1800 Gg a −1 , depending on the mass fraction of bacterial cells in the particles. In order to improve understanding of this topic, more measurements of the bacterial content of the air and of the rate of surface-atmosphere exchange of bacteria will be necessary. Future observations in wetlands, hot deserts, tundra, remote glacial and coastal regions and over oceans will be of particular interest. |
format |
Text |
author |
Burrows, S. M. Butler, T. Jöckel, P. Tost, H. Kerkweg, A. Pöschl, U. Lawrence, M. G. |
spellingShingle |
Burrows, S. M. Butler, T. Jöckel, P. Tost, H. Kerkweg, A. Pöschl, U. Lawrence, M. G. Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
author_facet |
Burrows, S. M. Butler, T. Jöckel, P. Tost, H. Kerkweg, A. Pöschl, U. Lawrence, M. G. |
author_sort |
Burrows, S. M. |
title |
Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
title_short |
Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
title_full |
Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
title_fullStr |
Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bacteria in the global atmosphere – Part 2: Modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
title_sort |
bacteria in the global atmosphere – part 2: modeling of emissions and transport between different ecosystems |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/9281/2009/ |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_source |
eISSN: 1680-7324 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/9281/2009/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-9281-2009 |
container_title |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
23 |
container_start_page |
9281 |
op_container_end_page |
9297 |
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1766230004774993920 |