Domine Florent
Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval (Canada) and CNRS-INSU (France), Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
Centre d'Études Nordiques (CEN), Department of Chemistry and Department of Geography, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
Microorganisms. 2019 Aug 14;7(8):260. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7080260.
Since 1999, atmospheric and snow chemists have shown that snow is a very active photochemical reactor that releases reactive gaseous species to the atmosphere including nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, halocarbons, carboxylic acids and mercury. Snow photochemistry therefore affects the formation of ozone, a potent greenhouse gas, and of aerosols, which affect the radiative budget of the planet and, therefore, its climate. In parallel, microbiologists have investigated microbes in snow, identified and quantified species, and sometimes discussed their nutrient supplies and metabolism, implicitly acknowledging that microbes could modify snow chemical composition. However, it is only in the past 10 years that a small number of studies have revealed that microbial activity in cold snow (< 0 °C, in the absence of significant amounts of liquid water) could lead to the release of nitrogen oxides, halocarbons, and mercury into the atmosphere. I argue here that microbes may have a significant effect on snow and atmospheric composition, especially during the polar night when photochemistry is shut off. Collaborative studies between microbiologists and snow and atmospheric chemists are needed to investigate this little-explored field.
自1999年以来，大气和雪化学领域的研究人员已经表明，雪是一个非常活跃的光化学反应器，会向大气中释放包括氮氧化物、碳氢化合物、醛类、卤代烃、羧酸和汞在内的活性气态物质。因此，雪的光化学作用会影响强效温室气体臭氧以及气溶胶的形成，而气溶胶会影响地球的辐射收支，进而影响其气候。与此同时，微生物学家对雪中的微生物进行了研究，识别并量化了其中的物种，有时还探讨了它们的营养供应和新陈代谢，这也间接承认了微生物可能会改变雪的化学成分。然而，直到过去十年，才有少数研究表明，寒冷积雪（<0°C，且没有大量液态水）中的微生物活动可能会导致氮氧化物、卤代烃和汞释放到大气中。我在此提出，微生物可能会对雪和大气成分产生重大影响，尤其是在极夜期间，此时光化学作用停止。微生物学家与雪和大气化学家需要开展合作研究，以探索这个鲜有人涉足的领域。
