Ridge 2000 Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: Reactive Transport Modeling of Biogeochemical Processes in a Hydrothermal Vent Field

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Seafloor hydrothermal vents are hotspots of biological activity on the deep seafloor, yet we know little about how the physical, chemical, and biological systems are tied together in order to yield such high productivity. This research, originates as a Ridge 2000 Postdoctoral Fellowship and is one of the first studies to apply reactive transport modeling to evaluate the interplay between hydrothermal vent fluid chemistry, chemosynthetic microbial metabolic processes, fluid flow, and mineral precipitation. This modeling project provides a unique and quantitative foundation that can be used to test hypotheses for mechanisms of interaction, gauging the sensitivity of the system to changes in governing parameters, and identifying linkages between large and small scale processes. Model predictions will be compared with data and observations from the well-characterized hydrothermal vent fields of the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge offshore of the northwestern US. The well established TOUGH REACT modeling code and independently developed larger scale modeling codes will be used for the calculations. Input parameters will come from available thermodynamic data bases and new kinetic data from experiments that measure the biological uptake rates of chemical species by various hydrothermal vent micro-organisms. Broader impacts of the work include interdisciplinary training of a postdoctoral researcher who will cross train in laboratories at the University of Georgia and Harvard University. The postdoc will also engage in training and mentoring undergraduate students, among other activities.