DJS -- A little genetic engineering might help here. Microorganisms that consume methane and serve as cloud condensation nuclei just might be the trick (or at least one trick) in combating anthropogenic global warming, if needed.
Methane-eating bug holds promise for cutting
greenhouse gas
18/01/2010 1:00 pm
Original link: https://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/Methane-eating-bug
A methane-consuming microorganism that lives in geothermal areas
in Rotorua has attracted international attention for its ability to
live in extremely acidic conditions.
Discovered by researchers at GNS Science, the bacterium could one
day be used to reduce methane gas emissions from landfills. It could
also help to cut methane emissions from geothermal power stations.
The science journal Nature has just published a paper on
the microorganism, which was discovered in soil at Tikitere
geothermal field, also known as Hell’s Gate, near Rotorua.
Climate researchers are expected to follow the discovery closely
as the bacterium offers the potential to reduce the amount of methane
entering the atmosphere. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas
than carbon dioxide.
The hardy bacterium is part of a group known as methanotrophs, but
this one is able to live in hotter and much more acidic conditions
than its relatives.
Methanotrophs use methane as their only source of energy. They
live mostly in soils and are especially common in environments where
methane is produced.
Microbiologist at GNS Science, Matthew Stott, said it was a
particularly exciting discovery as it had international significance.
“We knew methane was being produced geothermally at Hell’s
Gate and we were puzzled as to why it wasn’t reaching the surface,”
Dr Stott said.
“What we have found is an extremely tough methane-consuming
organism that is new to science. It grows happily under extremely
acidic conditions in the lab.”
Globally, acidic environments such as marshes and peat bogs
generate significant quantities of methane. Scientists have always
suspected that a proportion of this methane was being consumed by
bacteria living in these environments.
“Our discovery has demonstrated that methane-consuming organisms
do live in highly acidic environments. Without them, the amount of
methane entering the atmosphere would be much greater.
“Ultimately, it may be possible to implant this organism, or a
similar one, in landfills and cut methane emissions into the
atmosphere.”
Fellow microbiologist at GNS Science, Peter Dunfield, who isolated
the bacterium, has tentatively named it Methylokorus infernorum,
which is a latinised description of its methane food source, the
‘hellish’ location of its discovery, and also a description of a
structure within its cell that resembles a Koru.
GNS Science worked with colleagues at the University of Hawaii to
sequence the genome of the bacterium. They found its genetic makeup
was different to all known methanotrophic organisms.
The discovery stems from a collaboration between GNS Science and
the owner and operator of Hell’s Gate, Tikitere Trust. The
agreement between the two organisations includes the sharing of any
benefits that might accrue from scientific discoveries.
Spokesman for Tikitere Trust, Jim Gray, said the discovery had the
potential to put New Zealand and
Tikitere Trust at the leading edge
of extremophile science internationally.
“The Trust sees this is an exciting development that has both
commercial and scientific implications for New Zealand.“
Evidence Of 'Rain-making' Bacteria Discovered In Atmosphere And Snow
Summary:
Rain-making bacteria have been discovered,
and they are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological
particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle,
affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global
warming, according to an article in Science.
Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological
sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France,
recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely
distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could
factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate,
agricultural productivity and even global warming. Christner and his
colleagues published their results on Feb 29 in the journal Science.
Christner's team examined precipitation from global locations and demonstrated that the most active ice nuclei -- a substrate that enhances the formation of ice -- are biological in origin. This is important because the formation of ice in clouds is required for snow and most rainfall. Dust and soot particles can serve as ice nuclei, but biological ice nuclei are capable of catalyzing freezing at much warmer temperatures. If present in clouds, biological ice nuclei may affect the processes that trigger precipitation.
Biological precipitation, or the "bio-precipitation" cycle, as David Sands, Montana State University professor of plant sciences and plant pathology calls it, basically is this: bacteria form little groups on the surface of plants. Wind then sweeps the bacteria into the atmosphere, and ice crystals form around them. Water clumps on to the crystals, making them bigger and bigger. The ice crystals turn into rain and fall to the ground. When precipitation occurs, then, the bacteria have the opportunity to make it back down to the ground. If even one bacterium lands on a plant, it can multiply and form groups, thus causing the cycle to repeat itself.
"We think if (the bacteria) couldn't cause ice to form, they couldn't get back down to the ground," Sands said. "As long as it rains, the bacteria grow."
The team's work is far-reaching. Sands and his colleagues have found the bacteria all over the world, including Montana, California, the eastern U.S., Australia, South Africa, Morocco, France and Russia.
These research findings could potentially supply knowledge that could help reduce drought from Montana to Africa, Sands said. The concept of rain-making bacteria isn't far-fetched. Cloud seeding with silver iodide or dry ice has been done for more than 60 years. Many ski resorts use a commercially available freeze-dried preparation of ice-nucleating bacteria to make snow when the temperature is just a few degrees below freezing.
"My colleague David Sands from Montana State University proposed the concept of 'bioprecipitation' over 25 years ago and few scientists took it seriously, but evidence is beginning to accumulate that supports this idea," said Christner.
But, what makes this research more complicated is that most known ice-nucleating bacteria are plant pathogens. These pathogens, which are basically germs, can cause freezing injury in plants, resulting in devastating economic effects on agricultural crop yields.
"As is often the case with bacterial pathogens, other phases of their life cycle are frequently ignored because of the focused interest in their role in plant or animal health," said Christner. "Transport through the atmosphere is a very efficient dissemination strategy, so the ability of a pathogen to affect its precipitation from the atmosphere would be advantageous in finding new hosts."
It is possible that the atmosphere represents one facet of the infection cycle, whereby the bacteria infects a plant, multiplies, is aerosolized into the atmosphere and then delivered to a new plant through atmospheric precipitation.
"The role that biological particles play in atmospheric processes has been largely overlooked. However, we have found biological ice nuclei in precipitation samples from Antarctica to Louisiana -- they're ubiquitous. Our results provide an impetus for atmospheric scientists to start thinking about the role these particles play in precipitation," said Christner. "This work is truly multi-disciplinary, bridging the disciplines of ecology, microbiology, plant pathology and climatology. It represents a completely new avenue of research and clearly demonstrates that we are just beginning to understand the intricate interplay between the planet's climate and biosphere."
Story Source: Materials
provided by Louisiana
State University. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.
Louisiana State University. "Evidence Of 'Rain-making'
Bacteria Discovered In Atmosphere And Snow." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 29 February 2008.
