Credit: Andrew J. Heymsfield, NCAR
Scripps researcher Kerri Pratt with aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) aboard a specially outfitted C-130 aircraft operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the skies over Wyoming. Scripps-led researchers made the first direct detections of airborne bacteria in clouds aboard the aircraft, and reported the results in the May 17 online edition of the journal Nature.