Articles | Volume 22, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1257-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1257-2025
Research article
 | 
06 Mar 2025
Research article |  | 06 Mar 2025

Clouds influence the functioning of airborne microorganisms

Raphaëlle Péguilhan, Florent Rossi, Muriel Joly, Engy Nasr, Bérénice Batut, François Enault, Barbara Ervens, and Pierre Amato

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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Cited articles

Amato, P., Demeer, F., Melaouhi, A., Fontanella, S., Martin-Biesse, A.-S., Sancelme, M., Laj, P., and Delort, A.-M.: A fate for organic acids, formaldehyde and methanol in cloud water: their biotransformation by micro-organisms, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 4159–4169, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-7-4159-2007, 2007a. 
Amato, P., Parazols, M., Sancelme, M., Laj, P., Mailhot, G., and Delort, A.-M.: Microorganisms isolated from the water phase of tropospheric clouds at the Puy de Dôme: major groups and growth abilities at low temperatures, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 59, 242–254, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2006.00199.x, 2007b. 
Amato, P., Joly, M., Schaupp, C., Attard, E., Möhler, O., Morris, C. E., Brunet, Y., and Delort, A.-M.: Survival and ice nucleation activity of bacteria as aerosols in a cloud simulation chamber, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 6455–6465, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6455-2015, 2015. 
Amato, P., Joly, M., Besaury, L., Oudart, A., Taib, N., Moné, 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, 4383, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41032-4, 2019. 
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Using comparative metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, we examined the functioning of airborne microorganisms in clouds and a clear atmosphere. Clouds are atmospheric masses where multiple microbial processes are promoted compared with a clear atmosphere. Overrepresented microbial functions of interest include the processing of chemical compounds, biomass production, and regulation of oxidants. This has implications for biogeochemical cycles and microbial ecology.
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