Tiny Ocean Microbes May Have a Direct Impact on Climate Change and Cloud Formation

Tiny, ocean microbes may actually impact climate change. Scientists have discovered that a factor that determines the properties of clouds that help moderate our planet's temperature may be decided in the oceans.

The findings come after nearly a year after researchers created a replica ocean on the campus of Scipps Institution of Oceanography to observe the types of marine particles that contribute to cloud formation. Because cloud cover and precipitation are major variables in climate, the field of aerosol research is receiving more and more attention over time.

In this case, the scientists found that the process by which marine bacteria consume phytoplankton has a direct role in affecting cloud properties. As the bacteria feed, phytoplankton break down into component molecules such as fats and lipids. The molecules that the bacteria leave unconsumed can then become airborne in sea spray as the ocean surface churns. Once in the atmosphere, these molecules join dust and other particles, or aerosols. These then become the framework for the drops of moisture that ultimately form clouds.

The researchers only discovered this after analyzing sea spray in controlled conditions. This revealed which chemical components are transferred and when.

"It is exciting to finally be able to find a connection between microbes in seawater and atmospheric sea spray," said Kimberly Prather, one of the researchers, in a news release. "These chemical changes ultimately affect the reflectivity of marine clouds and thus could have profound impacts on climate over a large portion of the planet."

The findings provide a new understanding of the importance of the complex interactions between microbes and seawater and how they control the composition and cloud-forming ability of sea spray aerosol.

The findings are published in the journal ACS Central Science.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).