Sea spray aerosol (SSA) is a major global aerosol type and its composition influences its climate relevant properties. Microbes shape seawater chemistry and enzyme activity in seawater can influence the composition of the particles the water ejects. Marine bacteria express enzymes they acquire from complex organic material that can be used to meet their nutritional requirements. The enzymes are found "free" in the seawater and attached to the bacteria. The known transfer of bacteria in SSA suggests SSA should contain viable enzymes, and this has been recently confirmed in biologically active ocean-atmosphere microcosms in the laboratory<i>. </i>However, viable enzymes in SSA in the atmosphere have not been reported. Here we present the first reported measurements of enzyme activity in marine aerosol. Coastal aerosols were sampled from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier and analyzed for protease (leucine, serine), lipase (oleate, stereate, butyrate), alkaline phosphatase, and βglucosidase activity using the fluorogenic substrate method. Activity above the background was found for all seven enzyme types, with lipase-butyrate and protease-serine presenting the highest activities. These findings demonstrate that marine bacterial enzymes can change SSA composition while aloft in the atmosphere.

Detecting enzyme activity in coastal aerosol

255th National Meeting (2018)

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