T. Santl-Temkiv

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Aarhus University

The accelerated warming of the Arctic manifests in sea ice loss and melting glaciers, significantly altering the dynamics of marine biota. This disruption in marine ecosystems can lead to an increased emission of biological ice-nucleating particles (INPs) from the ocean into the atmosphere. Once airborne, these INPs induce cloud droplet freezing, t...

A major natural route of dispersal to Antarctica is often assumed to be atmospheric transport, although few studies have documented this in detail. Aerial dispersal to Antarctica is very challenging as the continent is geographically remote from other land areas and is isolated by the atmospheric circumpolar vortex. Detailed information about aeria...

Aerosols, including biological aerosols, exert a significant influence on cloud formation, influencing the global climate through their effects on radiative balance and precipitation. The Arctic region features persistent mixed-phase clouds, which are impacted by ice nucleating particles (INPs) that modulate the phase transitions within clouds, aff...

Aerosols, including biological aerosols, exert a significant influence on cloud formation, influencing the global climate through their effects on radiative balance and precipitation. The Arctic region features persistent mixed-phase clouds, which are impacted by ice nucleating particles (INPs) that modulate the phase transitions within clouds, aff...

Bioaerosols are gaining prominence due to their ability to nucleate ice in clouds at high subzero temperatures, thereby impacting cloud characteristics, and longevity. Acting first as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and second as ice nucleating particles, bioaerosols induce ice formation through immersion freezing. Nevertheless, insights into bioae...

The accelerated warming of the Arctic manifests in sea ice loss and melting glaciers, significantly altering the dynamics of marine biota. This disruption in marine ecosystems can lead to the emission of biological ice nucleating particles (INPs) from the ocean into the atmosphere. Once airborne, these INPs induce cloud droplet freezing, thereby af...

Background Sex is a significant epidemiological factor in the incidence of respiratory disease. However, the role of sex in indoor bacterial exposure remains largely unexplored. Objective Our objective was to investigate the association between indoor bacterial exposure and lung function and airway inflammation, focusing on sex-specific difference...

Microorganisms released into the atmosphere by various disturbances can travel significant distances before depositing, yet their impact on community assembly remains unclear. To address this, we examined atmospheric and lithospheric bacterial communities in 179 samples collected at two distinct Icelandic volcanic sites: a small volcanic island Sur...

Ice nucleation particles play a crucial role in atmospheric processes; for example, they can trigger ice formation in clouds and thus influence their lifetime and optical properties. The quantification and characterization of these particles require reliable and precise measurement techniques. In this publication, we present a novel droplet freezin...

Antarctic ice-free areas are dominated by wind-dispersed organisms. However, which organisms arrive and circulate in Antarctica and how remain poorly understood. Due to their proximity to South America and less extreme conditions, the South Shetland Islands are likely to receive higher diaspore numbers. One possible consequence of climate change is...

Whilst the importance of fungal primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) has been recognised, few studies have empirically assessed how land-use patterns influence them. Here, we show the impacts of different land-use patterns on fungal PBAPs within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. Spanning a distance of ca. 600 km within thi...

Whilst the importance of fungal primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) has been recognised, few studies have empirically assessed how land-use patterns influence them. Here, we show the impacts of different land-use patterns on fungal PBAPs within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. Spanning a distance of ca. 600 km within thi...

The interactions between aerosols and clouds are still one of the largest sources of uncertainty in quantifying anthropogenic radiative forcing. To reduce this uncertainty, we must first determine the baseline...

Although studies focusing on the physicochemical properties of aerosols/clouds have not been performed extensively, even less attention has been given to hailstones and their biological composition. Here, we present the results of the physical and microbiological characterisation of 20 hailstones collected in Southern Brazil originating from two st...

Citation: Mantoani, M.C.; Quintino, T.B.; Emygdio, A.P.M.; Guerra, L.C.C.; Dias, M.A.F.S.; Dias, P.L.S.; Rodrigues, F.; Silva, D.M.C.; Duo Filho, V.B.; Rudke, A.P.; et al. Biological Characterisation of Hailstones from Two Storms in South Brazil. Aerobiology 2023, 1, 98-108. Abstract: Although studies focusing on the physicochemical properties of a...

Ice nucleation particles play a crucial role in atmospheric processes e.g., they can trigger ice formation in clouds and thus influence their lifetime and optical properties. The quantification and characterisation of these particles require reliable and precise measurement techniques. In this study, we present a novel droplet freezing instrument t...

Airborne bacteria and endotoxin may affect asthma and allergies. However, there is limited understanding of the environmental determinants that influence them. This study investigated the airborne microbiomes in the homes of 1038 participants from five cities in Northern Europe: Aarhus, Bergen, Reykjavik, Tartu, and Uppsala. Airborne dust particles...

Surface microbes are aerosolized into the atmosphere by wind and events such as dust storms, wildland fires, and volcano eruptions. Only microbial cells that survive the various atmospheric stressors during their transportation will deposit and colonize new environments. These stressors include desiccation, oxidative stress, solar radiation, osmoti...

Biological aerosol particles affect human health, are essential for microbial and gene dispersal, and have been proposed as important agents for atmospheric processes. However, the abundance and size distributions of atmospheric biological particles are largely unknown. In this study we used a laser-induced fluorescence instrument to measure fluore...

Surface microbes are aerosolized into the atmosphere by wind and events such as dust storms and volcanic eruptions. Before they reach their deposition site, they experience stressful atmospheric conditions which preclude the successful dispersal of a large fraction of cells. In this study, our objectives were to assess and compare the atmospheric a...

The dispersion of microorganisms through the atmosphere is a continual and essential process that underpins biogeography and ecosystem development and function. Despite the ubiquity of atmospheric microorganisms globally, specific knowledge of the determinants of atmospheric microbial diversity at any given location remains unresolved. Here we desc...

Whilst fungi are a large fraction of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) and their impact on global climate has been widely recognised, few studies have empirically assessed fungal vertical profiles and diversity relating those with rainfall. Here, we show the results of fungal PBAPs before and after a rainfall event during a fieldwork cam...

Aerosols and primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) play an important role in regulating the global climate, but information summarizing the available knowledge is limited. Here, we present a systematic review of in situ studies performed in the last 35 years on aerosols–PBAPs in Brazil, with 212 studies encompassing 474 cases. The Amazon rai...

Collecting and obtaining sufficient amount of airborne particles for multiple microbial component assessments can be challenging. A passive dust sampling device, the electrostatic dust fall collector (EDC) has been established for assessing airborne exposures including endotoxin and glucans. Recently, with advances in next-generation sequencing tec...

Biological aerosol particles affect human health, are essential for microbial- and gene dispersal, and have been proposed as important agents for atmospheric processes. However, the abundance and size distributions of atmospheric biological particles are largely unknown. In this study we used a laser-induced fluorescence instrument to measure fluor...

The Arctic is a hot spot for climate change with potentially large consequences on a global scale. Aerosols, including bioaerosols, are important players in regulating the heat balance through direct interaction with sunlight and indirectly, through inducing cloud formation. Airborne bacteria are the major bioaerosols with some species producing th...

Identifying and quantifying nitrogen pools is essential for understanding the nitrogen cycle in aquatic ecosystems. The ubiquitous diatoms represent an overlooked nitrate pool as they can accumulate nitrate intracellularly and utilize it for nitrogen assimilation, dissipation of excess photosynthetic energy, and Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to A...

Microbially-produced ice nucleating proteins (INpro) are unique molecular structures with the highest known catalytic efficiency for ice formation. Airborne microorganisms utilize these proteins to enhance their survival by reducing their atmospheric residence times. INpro also have critical environmental effects including impacts on the atmospheri...

Living on a farm has been linked to a lower risk of immunoregulatory disorders, such as asthma, allergy, and inflammatory bowel disease. It is hypothesized that a decrease in the diversity and composition of indoor microbial communities is a sensible explanation for the upsurge in immunoregulatory diseases, with airborne bacteria contributing to th...

The atmosphere connects habitats across multiple spatial scales via airborne dispersal of microbial cells, propagules, and biomolecules. Atmospheric microorganisms have been implicated in a variety of biochemical and biophysical transformations. Here, we review ecological aspects of airborne microorganisms with respect to their dispersal, activity,...

Microbially-produced ice nucleating proteins (INpro) are unique molecular structures with the highest known catalytic efficiency for ice formation. Their critical role in rain formation and frost damage of crops together with their diverse commercial applications warrant an in-depth understanding of their inherent ice nucleation mechanism. We used...

Transport of microbes in the atmosphere allows them to spread and to colonize new habitats. To survive the harsh environmental conditions encountered in the atmosphere, these microorganisms have to possess properties that allow them to resist atmospheric stress. We combined physiological experiments and genome analysis of Pseudomonas syringae strai...

Ice-nucleation active (INA) bacteria can promote the growth of ice more effectively than any other known material. Using specialized ice-nucleating proteins (INPs), they obtain nutrients from plants by inducing frost damage and, when airborne in the atmosphere, they drive ice nucleation within clouds, which may affect global precipitation patterns....

Atmospheric transport is critical to dispersal of microorganisms between habitats and this underpins resilience in terrestrial and marine ecosystems globally 1,2 . Conventional dogma that this is a neutral process involving ubiquitous distribution in air has been challenged by recent advances 3–5 . However, the lack of standardized methods and anal...

Atmospheric transport is critical to dispersal of microorganisms between habitats and this underpins resilience in terrestrial and marine ecosystems globally. A key unresolved question is whether microorganisms assemble to form a taxonomically distinct, geographically variable, and functionally adapted atmospheric microbiome. Here we characterised...

Atmospheric transport is critical to dispersal of microorganisms between habitats and this underpins resilience in terrestrial and marine ecosystems globally. A key unresolved question is whether microorganisms assemble to form a taxonomically distinct, geographically variable, and functionally adapted atmospheric microbiota. Here we characterised...

Atmospheric transport is critical to dispersal of microorganisms between habitats, and this underpins resilience in terrestrial and marine ecosystems globally. A key unresolved question is whether microorganisms assemble to form a taxonomically distinct, geographically variable, and functionally adapted atmospheric microbiota. This question is made...

We assessed fungal diversity present in air and freshly deposited snow samples obtained from Livingston Island, Antarctica, using DNA metabarcoding through high throughput sequencing (HTS). A total of 740 m³ of air were pumped through a 0.22 µm membrane. Snow obtained shortly after deposition was kept at room temperature and yielded 3.760 L of wate...

Ice-nucleation active (INA) bacteria can promote the growth of ice more effectively than any other known material. Utilizing specialized ice-nucleating proteins (INPros), they obtain nutrients from plants by inducing frost damage and, when airborne in the atmosphere, they drive ice nucleation within clouds and may affect global precipitation patter...

Using a number of datasets from single particle Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ATOFMS) measurements, we show only a minor presence of Organic Nitrogen (ON) species in Saharan dust particles (aerosol size range 0.2–3 μm) collected at their origin. ON enhancement is not observed on Saharan dust particles after atmospheric transport (48–96...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03086.].

Outdoor field measurements of bioaerosols are performed within a wide range of basic and applied scientific disciplines, each with its own goals, assumptions, and terminology. This paper contains brief reviews of outdoor field bioaerosol research from these diverse interests, with emphasis on perspectives from the atmospheric sciences. The focus is...

The radiative balance in the Arctic region is sensitive to in-cloud processes, which principally depend on atmospheric aerosols, including ice nucleating particles (INP). High temperature INP (active at ≥-15°C) are common in the Arctic. While laboratory and limited in situ studies show that the high-temperature active INP are associated with bioaer...

Airborne dispersal of microorganisms influences their biogeography, gene flow, atmospheric processes, human health and transmission of pathogens that affect humans, plants and animals. The extent of their impact depends essentially on cell-survival rates during the process of aerosolization. A central factor for cell-survival is water availability...

Microalgae are common members of the atmospheric microbial assemblages. Diverse airborne microorganisms are known to produce ice nucleation active (INA) compounds, which catalyze cloud and rain formation, and thus alter cloud properties and their own deposition patterns. While the role of INA bacteria and fungi in atmospheric processes receives con...

Three aquatic strains after antibiotic treatment and DAPI staining. PASP-03 (A,B), PASP-04 (C,D) and PGCCMP-1383 (E,F).

Information on aquatic strains is presented: taxonomy at species level, sampling location (origin), the location on Figure 1 (#), culture medium (freshwater: MWC, brackish-water: f/2 25%, sea water: f/2 100%), growth temperature and the capacity of revival assessed over four months after freezing (Revival).

Information on airborne strains. The taxonomy is presented at the Phylum-Class-Order-Species level when available. As genetic markers we used partial 23S rRNA gene, 18S rRNA gene and/or ITS and the amplicon length is indicated in brackets [bp]. The culture medium was either artificial rain water (ARW), freshwater (MWC) or brackish-water (f/2 25%)....

Mean ice nuclei produced per cell for each category of temperature tested in strains of airborne and aquatic microalgae. NA stands for data not available (all wells frozen).

The Exo-Life Finder (ELF) will be an optical system with the resolving power of a ≥20m telescope optimized for characterizing exoplanets and detecting exolife. It will allow for direct detection of Earth-size planets in commonly-considered water-based habitable zones (WHZ) of nearby stars and for generic exolife studies. Here we discuss capabilitie...

Airborne bacterial communities are subject to conditions ill-suited to microbial activity and growth. In spite of this, air is an important transfer medium for bacteria, with the bacteria in indoor air having potentially major consequences for the health of a building’s occupants. A major example is the decreased diversity and altered composition o...

The Arctic is undergoing dramatic climatic changes that cause profound transformations in its terrestrial ecosystems and consequently in the microbial communities that inhabit them. The assembly of these communities is affected by aeolian deposition. However, the abundance, diversity, sources, and activity of airborne microorganisms in the Arctic a...

Ice nucleation active bacteria have attracted particular attention due to their unique ability to produce specific ice nucleation proteins (INpros), which are the most efficient ice nuclei known as they induce nucleation at temperatures close to 0°C. Our model bacterium Pseudomonas syringae strain R10.79 produced INpros containing 67 tandem repeats...

Aim: To evaluate three types of ventilation systems for operating rooms with respect to air cleanliness (in colony forming units, CFU/m(3)), energy consumption, and working environment comfort (noise and draught) as reported by surgical team members. Methods: Two commonly used ventilation systems, vertical laminar airflow (LAF) and turbulent mix...

Bacterial ice-nucleating particles (INP) have the ability to facilitate ice nucleation from super-cooled cloud droplets at temperatures just below the melting point. Bacterial INP have been detected in cloud water, precipitation, and dry air, hence they may have an impact on weather and climate. In modeling studies, the potential impact of bacteria...

The study of airborne bacteria relies on a sampling strategy that preserves their integrity and in situ physiological state, e.g. viability, cultivability, metabolic activity, and ice-nucleation activity. As ambient air harbours low concentrations of bacteria, an effective bioaerosol sampler should have a high sampling efficiency and a high airflow...

Bacterial ice-nucleating particles (INP) are present in the atmosphere and efficient in heterogeneous ice-nucleation at temperatures up to -2 °C in mixed-phase clouds. However, due to their low emission rates, their climatic impact was considered insignificant in previous modeling studies. In view of uncertainties about the actual atmospheric emiss...

Airborne dispersal of microalgae has largely been a blind spot in environmental biological studies because of their low concentration in the atmosphere and the technical limitations in investigating microalgae from air samples. Recent studies show that airborne microalgae can survive air transportation and interact with the environment and possibly...

We develop a polarimetry-based remote-sensing method for detecting and identifying life forms in distant worlds and distinguishing them from non-biological species. To achieve this we have designed and built a bio-polarimetric laboratory experiment BioPol for measuring optical polarized spectra of various biological and non-biological samples. Here...

A method for the extraction of nucleic acids from a wide range of environmental samples was developed. This method consists of several modules, which can be individually modified to maximize yields in extractions of DNA and RNA or separations of DNA pools. Modules were designed based on elaborate tests, in which permutations of all nucleic acid ext...

Previously only considered a dispersal route for microorganisms, the atmosphere has recently been added to a long list of environments on Earth that could serve as bacterial habitats. Diverse bacterial communities are present in the atmosphere up to high altitudes as well as in cloud and fog droplets. By entering the droplets, airborne bacteria gai...

Some bacteria have the unique capacity of synthesising ice-nucleation-active (INA) proteins and exposing them at their outer membrane surface. As INA bacteria enter the atmosphere, they may impact the formation of clouds and precipitation. We studied members of airborne bacterial communities for their capacity to catalyse ice formation and we repor...

Utilising the Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS), the immersion freezing behaviour of droplet ensembles containing monodisperse particles, generated from a Snomax™ solution/suspension, was investigated. Thereto ice fractions were measured in the temperature range between −5 °C to −38 °C. Snomax™ is an industrial product applied for...

In the atmosphere the importance of biological ice nuclei is still not well understood. Therefore we investigated the ice nucleation behavior of Snomax™, used as a model for bacterial ice nucleation, and birch pollen washing water, used as a model for pollen induced ice nucleation. Thereby we quantified the ice nucleation behavior of the INA protei...

Atmospheric methane is degraded by both photooxidation and, in topsoils, by methanotrophic bacteria, but this may not totally account for the global sink of this greenhouse gas. Topsoils are a prominent source of airborne bacteria, which can degrade some organic atmospheric compounds at rates similar to photooxidation. Although airborne methanotrop...

Storm clouds frequently form in the summer period in temperate climate zones. Studies on these inaccessible and short-lived atmospheric habitats have been scarce. We report here on the first comprehensive biogeochemical investigation of a storm cloud using hailstones as a natural stochastic sampling tool. A detailed molecular analysis of the dissol...

Bioaerosols include viable bacteria, viruses, dead bacterial cells, pollen, fungi and cell fragments, as well as numerous organic compounds derived from biomolecules as, for example, sugars, amino acids and methyl-derivatives. It has been shown that airborne bacteria may be viable also in the harsh conditions at high altitudes in the atmosphere and...