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Field and laboratory methods to monitor lake aerosols for cyanobacteria and microcystins

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Abstract

This study tested field and laboratory methods for the collection of cyanobacteria and microcystins emitted from lake water. These methods feature a highly portable, on-lake system for collecting aerosols directly from the lake, as well as a laboratory system for measurement of aerosols from freshly collected water samples under controlled conditions. Membrane air filters (0.45 μm) collected small particles such as picoplankton (0.2–2.0 μm) from aerosolized lake water. Picocyanobacteria were distinguished from other photosynthetic cells with epifluorescence microscopy using excitation filters for chlorophyll a (435 nm) and for phycobilin pigments (572 nm), characteristic of cyanobacteria. Aerosolization of picocyanobacteria ranged from 8872 to 167,297 cells m−3 in the field and 23,764 to 365,011 cells m−3 in the laboratory. Microcystin levels from field air filters ranged (below detectable limits) <13–384 pg MC m−3 of air. The described methods could be used for monitoring aerosolized cyanobacteria for public health purposes.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Alisha Stommel, Elijah Stommel, and Sarah Stowell for their time in the field with the aerosol collections. Additional thanks to Kate Langley for her continued effort with these methods. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experimental Station. The Scientific Contribution Number is 2634. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch 569 Project, Accession 211727.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 Academic Way, Spaulding Hall, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    A. L. Murby & J. F. Haney

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  1. A. L. Murby
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Correspondence to A. L. Murby.

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Murby, A.L., Haney, J.F. Field and laboratory methods to monitor lake aerosols for cyanobacteria and microcystins. Aerobiologia 32, 395–403 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-015-9409-z

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