Abstract
Aim of the present study is to explore how the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) and meteorological conditions combine in shaping the air microbiome in Savona (Italy), a medium-size, heavily inhabited urban settlement, hosting a wide range of industrial activities. In particular, the air microbiome and PM10 were monitored over six months in 2012. During that time, the air microbiome was highly dynamic, fluctuating between different compositional states, likely resulting from the aerosolization of different microbiomes emission sources. According to our findings, this dynamic process depends on the combination of local meteorological parameters and particle emission sources, which may affect the prevalent aerosolized microbiomes, thus representing further fundamental tools for source apportionment in a holistic approach encompassing chemical as well as microbiological pollution. In particular, we showed that, in the investigated area, industrial emissions and winds blowing from the inlands combine with an airborne microbiome which include faecal microbiomes components, suggesting multiple citizens’ exposure to both chemicals and microorganisms of faecal origin, as related to landscape exploitation and population density. In conclusion, our findings support the need to include monitoring of the air microbiome compositional structure as a relevant factor for the final assessment of local air quality.
Highlights
Aim of the present study is to explore how the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) and meteorological conditions combine in shaping the air microbiome in Savona (Italy), a mediumsize, heavily inhabited urban settlement, hosting a wide range of industrial activities
The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model application on PM10 samples resulted in a solution with an optimum number of seven source factors at the receptor site, i.e. the station where the PM10 samples were collected
When we searched for correlations between Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) coordinates and measured meteorological parameters or PMF factors (Supplementary Tables S2 and S1, respectively), we found that factor 5 and relative humidity (RH) were both positively correlated with the PCo1 axis (Kendal’s test, false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected p-value ≤ 0.001), while factor 6 was negatively correlated with the PCo1 coordinates (p-value ≤ 0.001) (Fig. 4)
Summary
Aim of the present study is to explore how the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) and meteorological conditions combine in shaping the air microbiome in Savona (Italy), a mediumsize, heavily inhabited urban settlement, hosting a wide range of industrial activities. Besides its relevance to atmospheric processes, AM has been found to control the spread of microorganisms over the planet surface, affecting the geographical biome, with key implications on agriculture and, human health This awareness raised concern about the potential impact of anthropic activities on PBA and, in particular, on the AM fraction. Changes in aerosol composition due to extensive human influence on the planetary scale give rise to air pollution, the inherent modification of atmospheric reactivity and, climate change[22] These factors may likely interfere with AM, shaping its structure and dispersion throughout the troposphere, with direct consequences on the terrestrial biome[23]. We were able to finely reconstruct the overall aerosol behavior in an area affected by both natural and anthropogenic emission sources, determining the local bacterial microbiome from PBA contained in PM10 and its main features as a function of local meteorological and environmental characteristics
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
