0000000000144462
AUTHOR
W. Elbert
Primary biological aerosol particles in the atmosphere: a review
Atmospheric aerosol particles of biological origin are a very diverse group of biological materials and structures, including microorganisms, dispersal units, fragments and excretions of biological organisms. In recent years, the impact of biological aerosol particles on atmospheric processes has been studied with increasing intensity, and a wealth of new information and insights has been gained. This review outlines the current knowledge on major categories of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP): bacteria and archaea, fungal spores and fragments, pollen, viruses, algae and cyanobacteria, biological crusts and lichens and others like plant or animal fragments and detritus. We give a…
Control of solute concentrations in cloud and fog water by liquid water content
We measured the concentrations of Cl^−, NO_3^−, and SO_4^(2−) in atmospheric cloudwater collected with a passive collector from a remote marine site and the concentrations of Cl^−, NO_3^−, SO_4^(2−), Na^+ and NH_4^+ in cloudwater from a continental site. At the continental site, an active rotating arm collector was employed for cloudwater collection. At both locations, we observed an inverse relationship between the measured ion concentrations and the liquid water content of the clouds. The product of the observed concentrations and the liquid water content, the cloudwater loading, was found to be nearly constant. A study of published cloudwater data showed that at the majority of the exami…
Bioaerosols in the Earth system: Climate, health, and ecosystem interactions
Abstract Aerosols of biological origin play a vital role in the Earth system, particularly in the interactions between atmosphere, biosphere, climate, and public health. Airborne bacteria, fungal spores, pollen, and other bioparticles are essential for the reproduction and spread of organisms across various ecosystems, and they can cause or enhance human, animal, and plant diseases. Moreover, they can serve as nuclei for cloud droplets, ice crystals, and precipitation, thus influencing the hydrological cycle and climate. The sources, abundance, composition, and effects of biological aerosols and the atmospheric microbiome are, however, not yet well characterized and constitute a large gap i…
Bioaerosols in the Amazon rain forest: temporal variations and vertical profiles of Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea
The Amazon rain forest plays a major role in global hydrological cycling, and biogenic aerosols are likely to influence the formation of clouds and precipitation. Information about the sources and altitude profiles of primary biological aerosol particles, however, is sparse. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), a molecular biological staining technique largely unexplored in aerosol research, to investigate the sources and spatiotemporal distribution of Amazonian bioaerosols on the domain level. We found wet season bioaerosol number concentrations in the range of 1–5 × 105 m−3 accounting for > 70 % of the coarse mode aerosol. Eukaryotic and bacterial particles predominated, …