Abstract
It is well known that the atmosphere is a conveyor of microorganisms, and that bacteria can act as ice or cloud condensation nuclei, but clouds have not been considered as a site where organisms can live and reproduce. Here we show that bacteria in cloud droplets collected at high altitudes are actively growing and reproducing at temperatures at or below 0°C. Since ∼60% of the earth surface is covered by clouds, cloud water should be considered as a microbial habitat.
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Dates
Type | When |
---|---|
Created | 21 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 4, 2004, 7:11 p.m.) |
Deposited | 1 year, 9 months ago (Nov. 22, 2023, 2:01 a.m.) |
Indexed | 3 weeks, 1 day ago (Aug. 3, 2025, 12:14 a.m.) |
Issued | 24 years, 7 months ago (Jan. 15, 2001) |
Published | 24 years, 7 months ago (Jan. 15, 2001) |
Published Online | 24 years, 7 months ago (Jan. 15, 2001) |
Published Print | 24 years, 7 months ago (Jan. 15, 2001) |
@article{Sattler_2001, title={Bacterial growth in supercooled cloud droplets}, volume={28}, ISSN={1944-8007}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2000gl011684}, DOI={10.1029/2000gl011684}, number={2}, journal={Geophysical Research Letters}, publisher={American Geophysical Union (AGU)}, author={Sattler, Birgit and Puxbaum, Hans and Psenner, Roland}, year={2001}, month=jan, pages={239–242} }