Bacteria which are likely to change climate on the planet, have been hound in the upper layers of the atmosphere. The area where they were found is featured with severe ambient conditions: low temperatures (down to -40° C), intensive ultraviolet radiation, insignificant air pressure, a lack of oxygen. Scientists couldn’t even imagine that any life forms existed over there.

Now it has become obvious that they were wrong. Analysis of drops, falling out of the clouds at the latitude of 3,000 km in the neighborhood of the Sonnblick meteorological station in Austrian Alpine, has proved that a life exists in clouds.

One milliliter of cloud water contained 2,500 bacteria of different size and form. So far it was supposed that bacteria could exist in the atmosphere upper layers; moreover, they (if any) should be frozen and be in anabiosis state. It occurred that bacteria inhabited clouds were alive, subsisted in an active state and even could breed. These bacteria are likely to react on a sunlight and facilitate ozone generation process. Pollutants released into the atmosphere kill these bacteria, that, probably, to have led to formation of the ozone hole over the Antarctica and reduced ozone layer thickness over the entire planet.

Static electric field, formed around each bacteria upon the influence of ultraviolet rays and strong wind flows, help bacteria to survive in these extremely cold conditions. This electric field produces a capsule-like enclosure which heats bacteria and saves from cold.

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