Harold Und Kumar Bottomless Party

bottles into the sea ...

Smoothseafloor During the campaign, a treasure hunt of a kind somewhat unusual has mobilized some of us. This was to identify and locate on the bottom of the sea of signs of current activity hydrothermal. Such activity is often characterized by an emission, on the ocean floor, fluids that differ sharply from the surrounding seawater at temperatures and concentrations of metals and methane often much higher. In hydrothermal areas, such fluids resulting from the processing of seawater that has seeped through cracks in the oceanic crust to great depths and gradually warmed and enriched in metals and methane in contact rocks it has helped transform one another.

For this, explored the depths, fins, mask and snorkel no longer sufficient. Players use a CTD or CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) the name of the sensors installed on that instrument in its simplest configuration. This device suspended from a cable electrocarrier (left) for transmitting data is continuously lowered from the surface to the seabed at a speed of about 1 meter per second. During the descent, traders scrutinize carefully (photo middle left) to screen the profiles (that is to say, the evolution with depth) measurements delivered in real time by the sensors (temperature, conductivity and turbidity particular). The sensitivity and accuracy of the sensors can detect small abnormal variations in the patterns. In open ocean environment, that is to say far from shore, these anomalies may correspond with high probability events of hydrothermal activity. To confirm this, the sea water located at the depth of the anomaly is then removed through special bottles installed on the device and whose closure is triggered on demand by scientists.

Once the CTD back on board, sampling (see photo middle right) are made for assays of methane and dissolved manganese (pictured right) made either on board or ashore to return campaign. The identification of concentrations greater than that corresponding to the average composition of sea water reveals the presence of more or less near a hydrothermal vent. The operation is then repeated as many times as necessary to identify the best area to locate precisely the issue responsibly. But it is better to be lucky or otherwise dispose of a lot of time and patience because the underwater currents can transport indices over long distances and in unexpected directions and the game is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.

Often scientists need to give up before reaching their goal. This is for another time or for another team who can benefit from the information collected.

Between the CPC, the spirit of explorers discovering our leaves, however, not lead them. They lead one second treasure hunt: the best bottles in the cellar of the Marion Dufresne. And then the results are much more sensitive ...

Motor Accident Settlement Letter

Under the bottom of the sea, life goes

Far below the ocean floor, nestled in the pores and fractures of rocks in the oceanic lithosphere, intense microbial life seems to develop in the absence of light, to depths of several kilometers. Microorganisms are indeed able to colonize even the most extreme environments on our planet and this, as the temperature (\u0026lt;120 ° C), the presence of water, porosity, the availability of carbon sources and energy permit.

Discovered a decade ago, that life seems to have nothing intraterrestrials anecdotal: it could represent half of the biomass the globe, as much organic carbon than what is found on the surface of the Earth. Recent studies on the sediments and oceanic basalts show that we can identify a large number of species adapted to very unique physiological and biochemical characteristics. To thrive, the ecosystems in these environments derive their metabolic energy from hydrothermal fluids that flow directly or mineral rocks, altering. The carbon source may, in turn, completely inorganic case _{CO 2 dissolved} derived from seawater or magmatic fluids deep, or be inherited more superficial level if sedimentary organic carbon.

In this perspective, the peridotite of the oceanic lithosphere are of particular interest. Indeed, during their interaction with sea water, these rocks have the potential to generate significant amounts of hydrogen, fuel for the living, and this through the hydration reaction of magnesium silicates and iron (olivine, pyroxene). This hydrogen combined with carbon dioxide, could be the basis of community development chimiolithoautotrophes say, first step of these ecosystems intraterrestrials. At higher temperature, if this hydrogen reduced CO 2 , serpentinization may also be accompanied by production of light hydrocarbons, particularly methane. These reactions of Fischer-Tropsch type are completely abiotic but must also be considered in these approaches because they can provide metabolic substrates for deep-sea ecosystems.

Despite the potential importance of these habitats, very few studies (Geo) microbiology have been conducted so far in these environments, compared to the systems of basaltic crust oceanic sediments associated. There is therefore no direct evidence of the existence of these microbial niches fed by the volatile mantle and many simple questions remain unresolved: how can the extent of microbial colonization, its nature and participation rate? depths to which these systems develop? how long that life continues after that hydrothermal activity has declined and that the rock has aged? What extreme physical and chemical properties are able to tolerate these microorganisms? what may be the primary productivity of microbial populations in these environments ? what are the physicochemical factors that limit the productivity? what role these microorganisms in carbon sequestration, the elemental recycling between the ocean and the crust and the geological evolution of the lithosphere? they constitute an interesting way to understand how there are more than 3 billion years, life appeared on Earth Archean inhospitable?

is to search for signs of microbial presence in hydrated peridotites of oceanic lithosphere that Geomicrobiologists the IPGP and the Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy) joined the team SMOOTHSEAFLOOR. While on board most of the work is appropriately packaged samples with minimal risk of contamination, back to the laboratory, many techniques of spectroscopy and microscopy will be implemented to search for relics of these rocks an increased microbial activity (presence of biological molecules or biominerals). This will lay the foundations for the functioning of microbial ecosystems in these environments ultramafic yet little explored, to assess their possible role in the processes of silicate weathering mantle and crystallization of new phases and their potential impact in global biogeochemical cycles.