Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces
Glaciers are important fresh-water reservoirs for our planet. Although they are often located at high elevations or in remote areas, glacial ecosystems are not pristine, as many pollutants can undergo long-range atmospheric transport and be deposited on glacier surface, where they can be stored for...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Condensed Matter |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/3/3/24 |
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| author | Francesca Pittino Roberto Ambrosini Roberto S. Azzoni Guglielmina A. Diolaiuti Sara Villa Isabella Gandolfi Andrea Franzetti |
| author_facet | Francesca Pittino Roberto Ambrosini Roberto S. Azzoni Guglielmina A. Diolaiuti Sara Villa Isabella Gandolfi Andrea Franzetti |
| author_sort | Francesca Pittino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glaciers are important fresh-water reservoirs for our planet. Although they are often located at high elevations or in remote areas, glacial ecosystems are not pristine, as many pollutants can undergo long-range atmospheric transport and be deposited on glacier surface, where they can be stored for long periods of time, and then be released into the down-valley ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics of these pollutants in glaciers is therefore important for assessing their environmental fate. To this aim, it is important to study cryoconite holes, small ponds filled with water and with a layer of sediment, the cryoconite, at the bottom, which occur on the surface of most glaciers. Indeed, these environments are hotspots of biodiversity on glacier surface as they host metabolically active bacterial communities that include generalist taxa able to degrade pollutants. In this work, we aim to review the studies that have already investigated pollutant (e.g., chlorpyrifos and polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs)) degradation in cryoconite holes and other supraglacial environmental matrices. These studies have revealed that bacteria play a significant role in pollutant degradation in these habitats and can be positively selected in contaminated environments. We will also provide indication for future research in this field. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:02:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-990a5db6cac84d399d379ff3d31beb82 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2410-3896 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:02:14Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Condensed Matter |
| spelling | doaj.art-990a5db6cac84d399d379ff3d31beb822022-12-22T04:10:26ZengMDPI AGCondensed Matter2410-38962018-08-01332410.3390/condmat3030024condmat3030024Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier SurfacesFrancesca Pittino0Roberto Ambrosini1Roberto S. Azzoni2Guglielmina A. Diolaiuti3Sara Villa4Isabella Gandolfi5Andrea Franzetti6Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1 20126 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria, 2 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria, 2 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria, 2 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1 20126 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1 20126 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1 20126 Milano, ItalyGlaciers are important fresh-water reservoirs for our planet. Although they are often located at high elevations or in remote areas, glacial ecosystems are not pristine, as many pollutants can undergo long-range atmospheric transport and be deposited on glacier surface, where they can be stored for long periods of time, and then be released into the down-valley ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics of these pollutants in glaciers is therefore important for assessing their environmental fate. To this aim, it is important to study cryoconite holes, small ponds filled with water and with a layer of sediment, the cryoconite, at the bottom, which occur on the surface of most glaciers. Indeed, these environments are hotspots of biodiversity on glacier surface as they host metabolically active bacterial communities that include generalist taxa able to degrade pollutants. In this work, we aim to review the studies that have already investigated pollutant (e.g., chlorpyrifos and polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs)) degradation in cryoconite holes and other supraglacial environmental matrices. These studies have revealed that bacteria play a significant role in pollutant degradation in these habitats and can be positively selected in contaminated environments. We will also provide indication for future research in this field.http://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/3/3/24cryoconitePOPsmicrobiologylong-range transportcryospherecontaminantsbacteria |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Pittino Roberto Ambrosini Roberto S. Azzoni Guglielmina A. Diolaiuti Sara Villa Isabella Gandolfi Andrea Franzetti Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces Condensed Matter cryoconite POPs microbiology long-range transport cryosphere contaminants bacteria |
| title | Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces |
| title_full | Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces |
| title_fullStr | Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces |
| title_short | Post-Depositional Biodegradation Processes of Pollutants on Glacier Surfaces |
| title_sort | post depositional biodegradation processes of pollutants on glacier surfaces |
| topic | cryoconite POPs microbiology long-range transport cryosphere contaminants bacteria |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/3/3/24 |
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