Geochemical Modeling of How Hydrothermal Water-Rock Reactions Support Near-Ridge Subsurface Microbial Ecosystems

本研究的主要目的是通过建立受热液影响的海底岩石、流体和微生物之间地球化学相互作用的热力学和动力学模型，预测近脊地下微生物栖息地的范围和多样性。脊轴海底环境的地球化学将通过计算所有可能的流体成分和可利用的微生物能量来模拟。通过考虑流体、岩石和微生物之间的相互作用，这项工作将建立在当前最先进的反应路径和反应输移模型的基础上，包括一系列可能的地壳成分、相分离流体、电导率冷却流体，以及这些流体与海水和电导率加热海水的混合物。

The primary goal of the research is to predict the extent and diversity of near-ridge subsurface microbial habitats by constructing thermodynamic and kinetic models of the geochemical interactions between rocks, fluids, and microorganisms in the hydrothermally influenced subseafloor. The geochemistry of ridge axis subseafloor environments will be modeled by calculating the full range of likely fluid compositions and available microbial energy. The work will build on the current state of the art in reaction path and reactive transport models by considering interactions between fluids, rock and microbes, involving a suite of likely crustal compositions, phase-separated fluids, conductivity-cooled fluids, and mixtures of these with seawater and conductively-heated seawater.