Been just listening to a BCC interview with some French and British scientists studying a common (ca 10 million per cm squared on a typical leaf) bacteria with particular properties – it is a catalyst for ice formation.
According to the scientists, this bacteria is so small and light it gets carried away with air currents and is found in clouds. Up there, they catalyse ice formation, which in turn causes rain to fall. The process is sometimes referred to as bio-precipitation. The bacteria are supposed to benefit because frost formation on leaves causes the ice to tear the delicate surface of the leave, presenting the juicier leaf insides to the bacteria to feed on.
The implications can be vast. An over-grazed land means there will be fewer leaves, therefore fewer bacteria on land, and so fewer in the clouds, and so less rain. A tragic cycle for farming. Likewise, genetically modified plantations may well be creating leaves which are resistant to these bacteria, with similar effects and long-term damage to whole eco-systems.
We are developing technology far faster than we can handle responsibly.
