Bubble scavenging of bacteria in freshwater quickly produces bacterial enrichment in airborne jet drops1

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Abstract
Air bubbles rising through laboratory bacterial suspensions collect bacteria by interception, a collection mechanism that depends on the size of the bacteria. Many of the scavenged bacteria are transferred to the jet drops when the bubbles burst at the surface. The enrichment factor (EF) for bacteria in the top jet drops increases rapidly with the distance the bubbles rise through the water, reaching values of about 400 after only 3 cm of rise for a bubble of 380‐µm diameter. Although these numbers vary with bubble size and other parameters, cautious extrapolation to natural waters suggests that bubble scavenging is an important factor in the water‐to‐air transfer of bacteria by jet drops.

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