One half of each filter was used for extraction using the MOBIO PowerWater™ DNA Isolation Kit (Mobio Laboratories) according to the manufacturer's instructions with the following modifications: PowerWaterThe DNA of all three extractions (1 extraction with method MOBIO UltraClean and 2 extractions with method MOBIO PowerWater) was pooled prior to further processing.For PCR amplification, the universal forward primer Bakt_341F (Accession Number pB-03844) 5′-CCTACGGGNGGCWGCAG-3′ and universal reversed primer Bakt_805R (pB-03845): 5′-GACTACHVGGGTATCTAATCC-3′ (Each replicate sample was amplified in four separate PCR reactions with the four different primer pairs (fs0, fs1, fs2, and fs3). 06730) and the alpine hut Mönchsjochhütte.A vertical trench was excavated by a snow groomer to a depth of 220 cm below the snow surface on 8 June 2014 at 08:00 CEST. In June 2014, we collected samples at different depths from a snow profile at the Jungfraujoch (Swiss Alps; 3621 m a.s.l.).

Snow was melted slowly and subsequently transferred into autoclaved laboratory Schott glass bottles and stored at 0°C until further analyses (total volume between 300 and 480 ml per field sample).Physical parameters such as snow temperature and density were measured Backward trajectories of air masses were calculated using the Vertical Velocity NOAA HYSPLIT Model and GDAS1 meteorological data (Daily maximum and night minimum air temperature 2 m above the ground was measured at Jungfraujoch (46°32′51″N/7°59′07″E; 3580 m a.s.l.).
Backward trajectories indicate that aerosols of the spring SDE likely originated from the northwestern part of the Algerian desert (Figure The 200-cm deep snow profile displayed four distinct snow layers (Figure Temperatures in the snow profile varied from −0.4 to −4.9°C and decreased with increasing depth (Figure The pH in the SD-layers was around 7.2, and significantly lower (The dust particle concentration observed in J4 (2300 particles mlTwo out of three bedrock samples collected at Jungfraujoch were gneisses, Rock1 and Rock2, whereas Rock3 was a limestone (Supplementary Table 3), which is evidence of the geological heterogeneity of the Jungfraujoch region (The SD-layers contained similar average quantities of DNA per volume of meltwater (J0: 8.2 ng mlThe species richness was significantly higher in the SD-layers (J0: 459 OTUs; J4: 339 OTUs; In the NMDS, J0, and J4 clustered together and were distinct from the other samples (Figure Considering the overall species richness of OTUs detected in the samples (total 539 OTUs), the most represented phyla were the To identify the SDE-specific bacteria, we built a three-factor Venn diagram containing the OTUs of J0, J4, and the CS-layers (Figure We analyzed the metabolic rates of all samples on different carbon substrates. Viruses ride the particles that circulate during vast dust storms such as this one, which emerged from the Sahara Desert to extend over the Atlantic Ocean on March 29, 2017.

Lichens, known as “pioneer plants,” are tiny organisms that can endure rough, hot and cold environments and droughts.
Data were supplied by the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss (IDAweb).Meltwater (5 ml) containing homogeneously suspended dust particles were filtered through a 0.2 μm GTTP polycarbonate filter with a vacuum pump (Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA). Have any problems using the site? High throughput sequencing with MiSeq IlluminaThe Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: Three snow profiles (A, B, and C) at 100 cm distance to each other were selected for sampling on the shadowy side of the trench. Such events are very common in spring (March-June) and autumn (October-November) but rare in summer and winter (The aim of this study was to characterize bacterial communities within the SD-layers preserved in snow through a combination of high throughput sequencing and incubations for microbiological metabolic activity using MiSeq IlluminaSampling was conducted at the Jungfraujoch region (46°33′11″N/8°0′17″E, 3621 m a.s.l.) Lichens. The Sahara Desert is the third-largest desert in the world, and the world's largest “hot desert.” It occupies a surface area of about 3.3 million square miles.