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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Fwd: News: Study: Ocean Microbes In Sea Spray Affect Atmosphere
  • Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 04:05:51 -0400

http://news.brevardtimes.com/2015/05/study-ocean-microbes-in-sea-spray.html

Study: Ocean Microbes In Sea Spray Affect Atmosphere
Proteins and lipids from organic matter that make sea foam frothy when
ocean water is agitated are also released into the atmosphere, which then
affect cloud composition. Credit: *Brevard Times* / File.

A factor that determines the properties of clouds that help moderate the
planet’s temperature may be decided by ocean microbes contained in sea
spray, according to a new study
<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acscentsci.5b00148> published on
Monday.

A team of researchers led by scientists at UC San Diego found that the
process by which marine bacteria consume phytoplankton has an apparent
direct role in affecting cloud properties. As the bacteria feed,
phytoplankton break down into component molecules such as fats and lipids.
The molecules the bacteria leave unconsumed can become airborne as the
ocean’s surface churns. Once in the atmosphere, these organic-enriched sea
spray particles join dust and other particles, or aerosols, in becoming the
framework for the drops of moisture that ultimately congeal into clouds.

This conclusion, reported in the journal ACS Central Science May 18, comes
nearly one year after researchers created a replica ocean on the campus of
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, to observe in a
controlled setting the types of marine particles that contribute to cloud
formation and possibly human health issues once they become airborne.
Because cloud cover and precipitation are major variables in climate, the
field of aerosol research has achieved increasing prominence in recent
decades. Researchers say that understanding the dynamics of clouds is
imperative for the creation of climate simulations that attempt to
replicate atmospheric phenomena.

“It is exciting to finally be able to find a connection between microbes in
seawater and atmospheric sea spray,” said Kimberly Prather, a distinguished
chair in atmospheric chemistry with appointments at Scripps and the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego. “These chemical
changes ultimately affect the reflectivity of marine clouds and thus could
have profound impacts on climate over a large portion of the planet.”

Prather, who leads UC San Diego’s Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and
the Environment (CAICE), and colleagues began with the observation that as
plankton are broken down by bacteria, they can release many different
insoluble fat-like compounds that later get aerosolized when waves break,
producing sea spray. These chemicals include a vast array of molecules
including proteins and their building blocks, as well as sugars and fats.


Schematic for the pathways of organic enrichment in sea spray aerosol and
their possible relationships with biological processes in seawater. Credit:
CAICE

But understanding the factors that control the transfer of chemicals from
the ocean to the atmosphere in sea spray has proven elusive. Some previous
studies have reported that phytoplankton are the chief driver of the
organic content of sea spray, but this has not been consistently observed
in field studies.

The researchers sought to analyze sea spray in a controlled
ocean-atmosphere environment to reveal which chemical components are
transferred and when. The group recreated the ocean on a large experimental
scale by importing 13,000 liters (3,400 gallons) of natural seawater from
the California coast into a 33-meter-long tank that mechanically generates
waves. Their results show that variations in the specific microbes in the
bloom affected the concentrations of less water-soluble molecules such as
lipids in seawater. In turn, bursting bubbles from the waves launched these
molecules into the atmosphere.

Prather said the study has provided a new understanding of the importance
of the complex interactions between microbes in seawater and how they
control the composition and cloud-forming ability of sea spray aerosol.
Such information will help researchers build better climate models. Among
the cloud properties influenced by this microbial process is the clouds’
brightness. That brightness helps determine if solar energy is absorbed on
Earth’s surface or reflected away from it, and thus influences temperature.

Researchers say that, with the ability to generate sea spray aerosols in
the laboratory during blooms, future studies will focus on developing a
better understanding of the effects of biological compounds in sea spray on
human health. Given that the biological compounds are inhaled by beachgoers
and residents of coastal communities every day, their impacts could be
substantial, but as of yet these effects are unclear.




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