The Traveling Life within Fog

By Diana Cazares

Figure shows how similar the bacteria from each fog sample location is to the samples taken from the nearest ocean. Figure taken from Evans et al. 2019.

Walking through fog may feel like walking through a cloud. Clouds house bacteria way up in the sky, what would be found in the fog down on land? Aerosols are microbes and other particles found in the air. Aeromicrobiology is an

emerging science so the study of fogs is relatively new and unexplored.  The bacteria found in fog are the type thatcan reside in air, soil, and water. Fungal samples were taken in only the Namib desert.  In the Namib desert 545 bacterial OTUs total were found when Evans and her colleges took fog samples 4 different times.  From the coast of Maine, 8 different fog samples totaled 474 bacterial OTUs. Samples taken from the fog were similar to thosetaken from the ocean and rain water.  The difference in aerosols found in fog compared to aerosols found in clear air, isthey are richer and more abundant. Fog creates a favorable environment to source large amounts of microbes that make an impact on the environment.  Positive ways fog influences the environment is by increasing microbial and nutrient diversity in soils even in the driest of desserts.  Fog may also carry pollutants and pathogens that affects animals and plants.



Original Article:
Evans S, Dueker, Logan J., Weathers K. (2019). The biology of fog: results from coastal Maine and Namib Desert reveal common drivers of fog microbial composition. Science of the Total Environment. 647: 1547-1556.