Bacteria Are Common in Rain and Snow
By admin • Feb 29th, 2008 • Category: Weather
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Snowflakes and raindrops have a surprise inside - bacteria.
Researchers at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge found that sky-high bacteria, typically in harmless varieties, spurs creation of snowflakes and raindrops.
Snow and rain usually forms in cold conditions high in the sky. However, the moisture needs some kind of particle (called ice nucleator) to cling to in order to condense.
In some cases, as much as 85 percent of the ice nuclei was Pseudomonas syringae bacteria, which cause plant diseases, for example in tomatoes and beans.
Researchers sampled snow from Antarctica, France, Montana and the Yukon. They found the bacteria in 20 samples of snow from around the world. The bacteria was also found in summer rainfall in Louisiana.
The discovery could one day be used to bring rain to dry areas, by blasting harmless bacteria into the air.
The research is published in the journal Science.
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