atmospheric depositon effect on bacterial diversity

Atmospheric inputs from mineral and anthropogenic sources are nowadays increasing globally due to desertification in one hand and industrialization on the other. In this context, it is important to understand how atmospheric particles can favor the growth of certain bacterioplankton groups of the ocean over others, as these changes will affect the ratio between primary and heterotrophic production, and consequently the concentration of atmospheric carbon that can be fixed (or released) in the surface layer of the ocean. As aerosol composition varies seasonally and locally, we evaluated the effect of both types of atmospheric particles on different locations of the northwestern Mediterranean and at different times of the year.