Culturable bacteria in Himalayan ice in response to atmospheric circulation

S. Zhang (1) , S. Hou (1) , X. Ma (1, 2) , D. Qin (1) , T. Chen (1)

1 Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment
2 School of Life Science

Only recently has specific attention been given to culturable bacteria in Tibetan glaciers, but their relation to atmospheric circulation is less understood yet. Here we investigate the seasonal variation of culturable bacteria preserved in a Himalayan ice core. High concentration of culturable bacteria in glacial ice deposited during the pre-monsoon season is attributed to the transportation of continental dust stirred up by the frequent dust storms in Northwest China during spring. This is also confirmed by the spatial distribution of culturable bacteria in Tibetan glaciers. Culturable bacteria deposited during monsoon season are more diverse than other seasons because they derive from both marine air masses and local or regional continental sources. We suggest that microorganisms in Himalayan ice can be used to reconstruct atmospheric circulation.

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]; Interfaces continentales, environnement; Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

S. Zhang, S. Hou, X. Ma, D. Qin, T. Chen. Culturable bacteria in Himalayan ice in response to atmospheric circulation. Biogeosciences Discussions, 2006, 3 (3), pp.765-778. ⟨hal-00297813⟩