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Airborne microorganisms in the African desert dust corridor over the mid-Atlantic ridge, Ocean Drilling Program, Leg 209

January 1, 2006

The objective of this study was to enhance our understanding of the fate and trans-Atlantic transport of dustborne microorganisms from Northern Africa to the Caribbean and Americas, and more specifically to determine if culturable populations could be detected at a mid-ocean site, closer to the source of dust relative to land-based Caribbean sites, during the early summer months of May and June. Between the dates of 22 May and 30 June 2003, daily air samples were collected and evaluated for the presence of culturable bacterial and fungal colony-forming units (CFU). Here we report a statistically significant correlation between daily atmospheric CFU counts at a mid-ocean research site (???15??N, 45??W) and daily desert dust concentrations as determined by the U.S. Navy's Naval Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) Global Aerosol Model (Honrath et al. (2004). Journal of Geophysical Research, 109; Johnson et al. (2003). Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 17, 1063; Reid et al. (2004). Geophysical Research Letters, 31; Schollaert, Yoder, Westphal, & O'Reilly (2003). Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 3191). ?? Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006.

Publication Year 2006
Title Airborne microorganisms in the African desert dust corridor over the mid-Atlantic ridge, Ocean Drilling Program, Leg 209
DOI 10.1007/s10453-006-9033-z
Authors Dale W. Griffin, Douglas L. Westphal, Michael A. Gray
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Aerobiologia
Index ID 70028391
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Coastal and Marine Geology Program