AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Effect of Seasonal Variability and Co-Pollutants on Fine Bioaerosol Abundance in Urban and Rural Airsheds in Michigan
PEARL M. NATHAN, Alexander H. Rickard, J. Timothy Dvonch, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Abstract Number: 694 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Particulate matter (PM) pollution has been studied in great depth with respect to its chemical composition. Outdoor air is made up of chemical as well as biological components. However, bioaerosols in PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micro-meters in aerodynamic diameter) have not been fully explored to understand their composition and interactions in different airsheds. This study investigates the abundance of fine bioaerosols over seasons in urban (Dearborn, MI) and rural (Dexter, MI) airsheds in Michigan and also the possible associations with gaseous co-pollutants. The urban site is located downwind of several steel processing plants, meat-processing facilities and near a large municipal wastewater treatment facility. The rural site is located significantly upwind of any large anthropogenic point sources. Samples were collected in 30-min durations each day over a two-week period each season from Summer 2013 until Summer 2014 to account for seasonal variability. The sampling method employed gelatin membrane filters and polycarbonate filters to collect total fine bioaerosols present, both culturable and non-culturable. The analysis involved a thorough characterization of fine bioaerosols using culture based assays, pyrosequencing and epifluorescent microscopy techniques to characterize the species present and also to understand both the viable and non-viable components. Preliminary results suggest that the bacterial composition at the urban site exhibits greater diversity as compared to the rural site. The results of this study provide insight to the bacterial diversity in different airsheds as it relates to sources in the vicinity.