Microbial community composition of seasonal snowpack in the Swiss Alps

In this study, we investigated the relationship between bacterial community composition and chemical properties of seasonal snowpack in mid-altitude valleys of the Swiss Alps. We collected surface snow and underlying bulk snow from 19 sites across three adjacent valleys (elevations 1,798-2,578 m.a.s.l.). We characterised microbial community structure and diversity using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and analysed major ions and organic acids content.