Direct sampling and bioanalyses of atmospheric bioaerosols using a tethered balloon over Syowa Station, Antarctica

• Published in: Polar Science
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Atmospheric bioaerosol; Antarctica; Tethered balloon; Next generation sequencing; East Antarctica; West Antarctica; Syowa Station; Antarc*; ice core; Polar Science
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=16944; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00016814/

To determine whether the microorganisms in the Antarctica ice core are a result of evolution or long-range transport, there is a need to sample and analyze atmospheric bioaerosols within the air mass at high altitudes in Antarctica; however, reports providing such data are limited. In this study, direct sampling of atmospheric bioaerosol was performed at an altitude of 1000 m using a tethered balloon over Syowa Station in east Antarctica, from 15:18 to 16:18 (local time) on January 3, 2013. Meteorological data indicate that the sampled air mass was in a high mixed layer and/or the low free troposphere. Backward air mass trajectories indicated that the air moved from the coastal area in west Antarctica to the midcontinent. By bioanalyzing the air mass at an altitude of 1000 m, the air mass near the ground, puddle water, and sand near the sampling point, microorganisms in the class of Bacilli and Chloroplast were found to have been transported over a long range from western Antarctica over Syowa Station in eastern Antarctica.