Impacts and Implications of Airborne Microorganisms in a Warming Atmosphere

Amid escalating concerns regarding climate change and air pollution, the intricate interplay between climate dynamics and air microbiomes remains inadequately understood. Our research team is dedicated to an in-depth exploration of bioaerosol dynamics through metagenomic analysis. This will establish linkages between resultant environmental microbiomes and a spectrum of physico-chemical factors. We will further evaluate potential implications of climate driven bioaerosol dynamics on human health. Consequently, our research initiative entails a comprehensive analysis of bioaerosol dynamics across distinct climate regimes, encompassing alpine, temperate, and tropical environments. Using high-volumetric air sampling technologies,  we have conducted environmental time series that offer high temporal and taxonomic resolution. In an interdisciplinary approach that integrates expertise from aerobiology, medicine, atmospheric physics, and climate modelling, we aim at assessing the impact of raising global temperatures on atmospheric bioaerosols and the global dispersal of airborne microorganisms. Our bioaerosol detection methodologies can be applied to both, historical and contemporary air samples, enabling to examine the bioaerosol dynamics preceding the current and most acute climate crisis. By integrating biological, chemical, and physical measurements collected from pristine alpine and metropolitan areas from temperate and tropical settings, we investigate the potential interconnections between climate-driven alterations in airborne microbial dynamics and their consequential effects on human and ecosystem health.