Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1731-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1731-2023
Research article
 | 
31 Jan 2023
Research article |  | 31 Jan 2023

Effects of pH and light exposure on the survival of bacteria and their ability to biodegrade organic compounds in clouds: implications for microbial activity in acidic cloud water

Yushuo Liu, Chee Kent Lim, Zhiyong Shen, Patrick K. H. Lee, and Theodora Nah

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Cited articles

Amato, P., Ménager, M., Sancelme, M., Laj, P., Mailhot, G., and Delort, A.-M.: Microbial population in cloud water at the Puy de Dôme: Implications for the chemistry of clouds, Atmos. Environ., 39, 4143–4153, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2005.04.002, 2005. 
Amato, P., Parazols, M., Sancelme, M., Mailhot, G., Laj, P., and Delort, A.-M.: An important oceanic source of micro-organisms for cloud water at the Puy de Dôme (France), Atmos. Environ., 41, 8253–8263, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.06.022, 2007. 
Amato, P., Joly, M., Besaury, L., Oudart, A., Taib, N., Mone, A. I., Deguillaume, L., Delort, A. M., and Debroas, D.: Active microorganisms thrive among extremely diverse communities in cloud water, PLoS One, 12, e0182869, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182869, 2017. 
Amato, P., Besaury, L., Joly, M., Penaud, B., Deguillaume, L., and Delort, A.-M.: Metatranscriptomic exploration of microbial functioning in clouds, Sci. Rep.-UK, 9, 1–12, 2019. 
Anglada, J. M., Martins-Costa, M., Francisco, J. S., and Ruiz-Lopez, M. F.: Interconnection of reactive oxygen species chemistry across the interfaces of atmospheric, environmental, and biological processes, Accounts Chem. Res., 48, 575–583, https://doi.org/10.1021/ar500412p, 2015. 
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Short summary
We investigated how cloud water pH and solar radiation impact the survival and energetic metabolism of two neutrophilic bacteria species and their biodegradation of organic acids. Experiments were performed using artificial cloud water that mimicked the pH and composition of cloud water in South China. We found that there is a minimum cloud water pH threshold at which neutrophilic bacteria will survive and biodegrade organic compounds in cloud water during the daytime and/or nighttime.
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