Infection dynamics of a bloom-forming alga and its virus determine airborne coccolith emission from seawater

TitleInfection dynamics of a bloom-forming alga and its virus determine airborne coccolith emission from seawater
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsTrainic M, Koren I, Sharoni S, Frada M, Segev L, Rudich Y, Vardi A
JournaliScience
Date Publishedaug
ISSN25890042
KeywordsAtmospheric Science, Biogeoscience, Earth Sciences, Marine Organism, RCC1216
Abstract

Summary Sea spray aerosols (SSA), have a profound effect on the climate; however, the contribution of oceanic microbial activity to SSA is not fully established. We assessed aerosolization of the calcite units (coccoliths) that compose the exoskeleton of the cosmopolitan bloom-forming coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi. Airborne coccolith emission occurs in steady-state conditions and increases by an order of magnitude during E. huxleyi infection by E. huxleyi virus (EhV). Airborne to seawater coccolith ratio is 1:108, providing estimation of airborne concentrations from seawater concentrations. The coccoliths' unique aerodynamic structure yields a characteristic settling velocity of \~0.01 cm s-1, \~25 times slower than average sea salt particles, resulting in coccolith fraction enrichment in the air. The calculated enrichment was established experimentally, indicating that coccoliths may be key contributors to coarse mode SSA surface area, comparable with sea salt aerosols. This study suggests a coupling between key oceanic microbial interactions and fundamental atmospheric processes like SSA formation.

URLhttps://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(18)30105-6 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2589004218301056
DOI10.1016/j.isci.2018.07.017