The biology of fog: results from coastal Maine and Namib Desert reveal common drivers of fog microbial composition

Fog events significantly alter microbial aerosol diversity and composition, introducing novel species—including potential human and plant pathogens—to terrestrial ecosystems. This study reveals that fog from coastal Maine (USA) and the Namib Sand Sea (Namibia) contains diverse bacterial and fungal communities distinct from clear aerosols, influenced by both soil and marine sources. Marine-associated taxa like Cyanobacteria and Pseudoalteromonas persist even 50 km inland, suggesting fog facilitates aerobiological transfer between marine and terrestrial systems. The research used metagenomic tools and culturing to analyze fog microbial composition, highlighting the ecological importance of fog in nutrient and microbe deposition across environments.

Evans, S. E., Dueker, M. E., Logan, J. R., & Weathers, K. C. (2019). The biology of fog: results from coastal Maine and Namib Desert reveal common drivers of fog microbial composition. Science of the Total Environment, 647, 1547–1556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.045