The high temperature fate of the hydrothermal deep biosphere: An experimental and field investigation

Prosjekttittel

The high temperature fate of the hydrothermal deep biosphere: An experimental and field investigation

Veiledere

Eoghan P. Reeves, Ida H. Steen, Håkon Dahle, Florence Schubotz

Prosjektbeskrivelse

My project plans to  investigate to what extent the hydrothermal deep biosphere constitutes a major thermogenic pathway and organic carbon source i.e. does the formation of organic molecules as a result of pyrolysis of microbial biomass material (biogenic origin) influence the organic inventory of hydrothermal fluids, and if so, in what ways? My work further includes measuring and quantifying low molecular weight carboxylic acids in natural hydrothermal fluid from the mid-atlantic and arctic mid-oceanic ridge systems. The study has strong implications for sources of formation of LMW organics and evidence for fluid-microbe interactions in the sub-surface biosphere.