Ice Nucleation Activity of Alpine Bioaerosol Emitted in Vicinity of a Birch Forest

Atmosphere

Teresa M. Seifried¹  Hinrich Grothe¹  Paul Bieber¹  Anna T. Kunert²  Janine Fröhlich-Nowoisky²  David G. Schmale³  Karin Whitmore⁴ 

[1] Institute of Materials Chemistry, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria;Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany;School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0390, USA;Service Center for Transmission Electron Microscopy, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria;

关键词: bioaerosol;    ice nucleation;    alpine vegetation;    birch;    fluorescence microscopy;    scanning electron microscopy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atmos12060779

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In alpine environments, many plants, bacteria, and fungi contain ice nuclei (IN) that control freezing events, providing survival benefits. Once airborne, IN could trigger ice nucleation in cloud droplets, influencing the radiation budget and the hydrological cycle. To estimate the atmospheric relevance of alpine IN, investigations near emission sources are inevitable. In this study, we collected 14 aerosol samples over three days in August 2019 at a single site in the Austrian Alps, close to a forest of silver birches, which are known to release IN from their surface. Samples were taken during and after rainfall, as possible trigger of aerosol emission by an impactor and impinger at the ground level. In addition, we collected aerosol samples above the canopy using a rotary wing drone. Samples were analyzed for ice nucleation activity, and bioaerosols were characterized based on morphology and auto-fluorescence using microscopic techniques. We found high concentrations of IN below the canopy, with a freezing behavior similar to birch extracts. Sampled particles showed auto-fluorescent characteristics and the morphology strongly suggested the presence of cellular material. Moreover, some particles appeared to be coated with an organic film. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of aerosol emission sources in alpine vegetation with a focus on birches.

【 授权许可】

Unknown