Ice nucleation active bacteria in precipitation are genetically diverse and nucleate ice by employing different mechanisms.

ABSTRACT: A growing body of circumstantial evidence suggests that ice nucleation active (Ice⁺) bacteria contribute to the initiation of precipitation by heterologous freezing of super-cooled water in clouds. However, little is known about the concentration of Ice⁺ bacteria in precipitation, their genetic and phenotypic diversity, and their relationship to air mass trajectories and precipitation chemistry. In this study, 23 precipitation events were collected over 15 months in Virginia, USA. Air mass trajectories and water chemistry were determined and 33 134 isolates were screened for ice nucleation activity (INA) at -8 °C. Of 1144 isolates that tested positive during initial screening, 593 had confirmed INA at -8 °C in repeated tests. Concentrations of Ice⁺ strains

SUBMITTER: Failor KC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5702730 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature