Halophilic Archaea Abundance on Salt Rock Surfaces in the Bochnia Salt Mine

Summer and winter 2026 data from the Bochnia Salt Mine in southern Poland, collected by Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat. The dataset contains measurements of halophilic and non-halophilic microorganisms on rock salt and salty claystone surfaces, with abundances reported in CFU/25 cm². It includes identification of 11 halophilic archaeal species, dominated by members of the genus Halococcus.

Use Cases

• Modeling seasonal microbial abundance variation based on summer and winter sampling data.
• Comparing rock surface and airborne microbial communities based on the described overlap of taxa.
• Analyzing the habitat preference of halophilic archaea based on the gradient of distance from the mine entrance and human influence.
• Studying the persistence of specific archaeal genera like Halococcus in salty rock environments.

Strengths

• Provides specific microbial abundance counts, ranging from 1.2×10³ to 4.3×10³ CFU/25 cm² for halophiles.
• Includes seasonal comparison, showing mean halophilic abundance was 3.8×10³ CFU/25 cm² in summer and 1.4×10³ CFU/25 cm² in winter.
• Identifies 11 specific halophilic archaeal species found on the rock surfaces.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is very small at 58.8 KB, indicating limited scope.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat.

Collection Method

Surface swabs collected from rock salt and salty claystone, analyzed using cultivation-based methods combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Time Range

Summer and winter (specific years not provided).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-22 05:46:30; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bochnia Salt Mine, southern Poland.