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Encyclopedia of Metagenomics pp 1–7Cite as

Cloud and Atmosphere Metagenomics

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Synonyms

Metagenomics of airborne and cloudborne bacteria

Definition

Previously only considered a dispersal route for microorganisms, the atmosphere has recently been added to a long list of environments on Earth that could serve as bacterial habitats. Diverse bacterial communities are present in the atmosphere up to high altitudes as well as in cloud and fog droplets. By entering the droplets, airborne bacteria gain access to a liquid environment and diverse organic compounds and potentially affect atmospheric chemistry and physics.

Introduction

The atmosphere is the most important conduit for bacterial dispersal. The mean global emissions from terrestrial surfaces amount to between 2.0*1016 and 5.6*1016 CFU per second (Burrows et al. 2009b). Emissions from marine surfaces are considered significantly lower. Marine bacteria get aerosolized through bubble bursting, whereas wind and temperature are proposed to be the main factors influencing uplift of bacteria from terrestrial surfaces...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120 building 1520, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Tina Santl-Temkiv

  2. Department of Bioscience, Microbiology Section, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Tina Santl-Temkiv & Kai Finster

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark

    Ulrich Gosewinkel Karlson

Authors
  1. Tina Santl-Temkiv
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  2. Kai Finster
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  3. Ulrich Gosewinkel Karlson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina Santl-Temkiv .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Karen E. Nelson

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Santl-Temkiv, T., Finster, K., Karlson, U.G. (2012). Cloud and Atmosphere Metagenomics. In: Nelson, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metagenomics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_98-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_98-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6418-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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