Summary
As part of 2023 Climate Change NYC events, the Aerobiome Team exhibited a poster of their research at the NYC March for Science Summit on 8 September 2023 at New York University. Through interactive demonstrations, they engaged in discussion with local elected officials and the general public to illustrate the benefits of urban aerobiome research and how this work can be integrated into existing NYC environmental monitoring policies.
Check out our poster for more details.
Urban Aerobiome Microclimates and Environmental Justice
Environmental microbiomes surround us and evidence suggests that low microbiome diversity exposure may be linked to negative health outcomes, including allergies/, asthma/, obesity/, depression/, and the transmission of pathogens/. Similarly, microbes capable of aerosolization (the aerobiome) may exert greater influence on climate variables, weather patterns, and human health. As rapid global urbanization (increased density of buildings and people) depletes natural resources that mitigate the effects of meteorological events and microbiome diversity, access to diverse urban aerobiomes becomes a question of environmental justice. However, analysis of the aerobiome is challenging due to low biomass, which is correlated with urban environmental surface materials and population dynamics/.
Methodology
Our team has devised a methodology for the co-evaluation of spatiotemporal environmental conditions and microbial metrics (species abundance, diversity, and richness) to observe the dynamics of airborne microbial species within the urban microclimate of New York City’s Fort Greene Park (FGP). In a pilot study conducted in July 2023, aerobiome samples and environmental metrics were collected from two sites in FGP (Visitors Center and Tennis Court). Samples and environmental metrics were collected for each day and site, and different days were treated as sample replicates for the same time period. After DNA extraction from the samples, the extractions were sequenced using metagenomic methods, including both 16s rRNA and shotgun analysis. Both methods were applied for comparative assessment of species composition.
Preliminary Findings & Implications for Future Work
After DNA extraction, initial observations revealed that higher DNA mass concentrations were contained in the Tennis Court samples. However, a two-way factorial ANOVA failed to find significant differences between any time point or location variables.
The properties of urban aerobiomes are not isolated to the microbial scale, they participate in interactions between people, space, and cycles of change. Therefore, the impact of theis project is revealing the connections between microbial agents and societal processes and behaviors. By applying this framework to future aerobiome microclimate impact studies relating to vulnerable populations, the spread of epidemics, and the confluence of microbial dispersal characteristics and resulting weather patterns.
Policy Recommendations for Cities
Using existing policy programs in NYC, our aerobiome analysis framework could be incorporated into:
- Equitable funding to expand the scope of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental report to include sampling and analysis of environmental microbiomes utilizing existing air sampling methods.
- Raise public awareness through community involvement, education, and partnership in existing Remediation-Restoration-Revitalization (R2R2R) programs such as PlaNYC.