Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 11 November 1977:
Vol. 198. no. 4317, pp. 575 - 580
DOI: 10.1126/science.918656
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Science, Vol 198, Issue 4317, 575-580
Copyright © 1977 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Virus transfer from surf to wind

ER Baylor, MB Baylor, DC Blanchard, LD Syzdek, and C Appel

Bubbles in the sea surf adsorb and carry viruses to the surface where they are propelled into the air on tiny jets of seawater when the bubble bursts. The ejected jets become tiny drops of aerosol. The buble adsorption and virus concentration in the surf is analagous to industrial bubble levitation processes that concentrate metallic ores, enzymes, and finely divided organic crystals. Bubble levitation of viruses delibrately injected into the surf produced 200 times more virus per milliliter in the aerosol than were present in samples from the surf. Some aerosol drops created by the surf and carried by the wind fall out on the beach. The frequency of virus-bearing drops, that is, the number of plaques on seeded plates exposed on the beach, decreased exponentially with the distance downwind from the surf.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Evidence of Sea Spray Produced by Bursting Bubbles.
J. WU (1981)
Science 212, 324-326
   Abstract »    PDF »
Viruses in Water.
T. F. SMITH (1979)
Ann Intern Med 91, 119-120
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)