Challenge of Measuring Bioaerosols at KOSA Source Areas: Tethered Balloon Observation Coupled with Individual Particle Analysis

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  • YAMADA Maromu
    Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto
  • IWASAKA Yasunobu
    Frontier Science Organization, Kanazawa University
  • KOBAYASHI Fumihisa
    Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University
  • ZHANG Daizhou
    Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 黄砂発生源地域におけるバイオエアロゾル観測の試み：係留気球観測と個別粒子分析
  • コウサ ハッセイ ゲン チイキ ニ オケル バイオエアロゾル カンソク ノ ココロミ ケイリュウ キキュウ カンソク ト コベツ リュウシ ブンセキ

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Abstract

Ground-based observation at a large distance from desert regions suggested the possibility of long-range transport of bioaerosols along with desert dust. To understand the transport process, observation of bioaerosols associated with dust particles over KOSA (Asian dust) source areas is essential. In this paper, we introduce the observations of bioaerosols, which had been recently carried out at a desert site, Dunhuang in northwest China, using a tethered balloon. The tethered balloon served to lift instruments from the ground to about 1,200 m. Bioaerosol samples were collected at an altitude of 800 m above the ground. Particulate matters in the samples were analyzed individually with a fluorescent microscope and a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (SEM-EDX). According to the fluorescence microscopic observation with DAPI solution which stains DNA in samples, approximately 10 % of water-insoluble particles at 800 m showed strong fluorescent signals under UV irradiation, indicating the presence of microorganisms. The SEM-EDX analysis revealed that most of the fluorescent particles stained by DAPI were attached on mineral particles, indicating the significance of mineral dust as a carrier of microorganisms. In addition, these results show that coupling tethered-balloon observation with individual particle analysis is an effective approach to study the diffusion of mineral particles with bioaerosols in the boundary layer.

Journal

  • Earozoru Kenkyu

    Earozoru Kenkyu 25 (1), 13-22, 2010

    Japan Association of Aerosol Science and Technology

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