SGER: Microbial Alteration of Basaltic Glass in seawater: Feasibility Study on Loihi Seamount and the Flanks of Hawaii

PI将进行新鲜玄武岩玻璃在海底海水中的暴露实验，并将结果与暴露在同一地点的天然玄武岩玻璃的行为进行比较，以了解微生物群落在玻璃改变中的作用。研究环境位于夏威夷的海底斜坡，水深200- 2000米，水温从接近冰点到约80摄氏度的热泉温度。暴露的岩石表面年龄从几年到几百万年不等，包括洛伊希海山、普纳海岭以及科哈拉和华拉莱的海底斜坡。利用海洋大气局海洋研究方案的其他资金，研究所将在2002/2003财政年度进行16次潜水，以进行实地研究。该奖项将支持参与巡航以回收先前放置的暴露费用，以及对潜水回收的材料进行化学和微生物实验室调查。PI将观察和表征微生物种群和自然微生物改变对明确定义的玻璃表面的物理影响。他们将比较一年暴露实验中的反应速率与自然暴露数年至近百万年的玄武岩蚀变速率。化学质量平衡将使PI能够确定海水和玄武岩暴露实验之间的化学交换率。

The PI will carry out exposure experiments of fresh basaltic glass in seawater on the ocean floor, and compare the results to the behavior of natural basalt glass exposed at the same site in terms of the role of microbial communities in the alteration of the glass. Study environments are located on the submarine slopes of Hawaii at water depths ranging from 200-2000m, at water temperatures ranging from near freezing to hydrothermal spring temperatures of approximately 80 degree C. Exposed rock surfaces vary in age from a few years to several 100kyrs and include sites on Loihi Seamount, Puna Ridge and the submarine slopes of Kohala and Hualalai. With other funds from NOAA's NURP program, the PIs will undertake 16 submersible dives in FY's 2002/2003, to carry out the field portion of the study. This award will support cruise participation for the recovery of previously-placed exposure charges, and the chemical, and microbiological laboratory investigations of materials recovered from the dives. The PIs will observe and characterize the microbial populations and physical effects of natural microbial alteration on well defined glass surfaces. They will compare reaction rates in the one-year exposure experiments to the rates of basalt alteration in natural exposure of several years to nearly a million years. Chemical mass balance will allow the PIs to determine the chemical exchange rates between seawater and the basalt exposure experiments.