Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP)

Seminar Detail

Geochemical Seasonality in a Unique Aquatic Environment:
Who needs oxygen, anyway?

Presenter: Geoff Garrison

April 15, 2003 12:00 AM Pacific

One of the pillars of astrobiology research is understanding how life can
exist in modes other than what is typical on earth, and what kinds of
chemical signals such unique life forms can produce. This talk will
present the biogeochemical dynamics of a recently studied extremely
productive closed pond on the leeward shore of Oahu, Hawaii. What makes
this pond unique is that despite its high levels or organic productivity
(>470 mg C m-2 d-1), the waters of the pond remain suboxic to anoxic, even
at the very surface, during most of the year. A system with such large
chemical disequilibria provides an easily accessible natural laboratory
for the study of unique microbial communities. It's also a short drive
from the best Mai Tais in Hawaii.

Participation Instructions

http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/seminars/instructions.cfm