Collaborative Research: RAPID: Microbiologic sampling of continental subsurface fluids from within the Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO)

合作研究：RAPID：康奈尔大学钻孔观测站 (CUBO) 内大陆地下流体的微生物采样

• 批准号: 2231125
• 负责人: Jason Sylvan
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2024-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2231125&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RAPID; Microbiologic; sampling

This project will collect samples of hot salty groundwater from roughly 1.5 to nearly 2 miles underground to study what microorganisms may live at these depths. The unusual opportunity to collect these samples comes from a deep well that is being drilled on Cornell University’s campus in upstate New York during Summer 2022. This deep environment is considered to be an extreme environment because of the warm temperature (150-200˚F), high salt concentration, lack of sunlight (energy), and lack of nutrients. Microbial cells will be counted from the collected samples to provide a better understanding of how much live lives underground. DNA will be analyzed to identify which types of microorganisms are living underground and to understand how those microorganisms survive in such an extreme environment. Ad¬vancing our knowledge of the diversity of microorganisms underground and how they survive can potentially provide insights into the origins of life on Earth and elsewhere in the universe. Additionally, this study will collect groundwater for chemical analyses that will better describe this extreme environment and aid efforts to grow the collected organisms in the laboratory. Collectively, cell counts, DNA, chemistry, and growth experiments will improve our understanding of life in the subsurface and life’s impacts to the chemistry of our planet. As part of this project, deep subsurface briny fluid samples will be collected upon completion of the Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO), a DOE-funded 3-km deep geothermal exploratory well being drilled on Cornell’s upstate New York campus during summer 2022. Key objectives of the project are to: (1) collect and preserve water for geochemical analyses during a planned pump test, (2) quantify biomass concentrations using microscopy, (3) filter and preserve 100s of liters of fluid for genomic analyses, and (4) establish enrichment cultures. Sampling will target the Precambrian metamorphic / crystalline basement and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary sequences between 2.3 – 3.0 km depth where temperatures are expected to be ~ 70-95˚C. The large volume fluid sampling for geochemical and microbiologic characterization proposed here is not a part of the DOE-supported scope.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目将从地下约1.5至近2英里处收集热盐水样本，以研究这些深度可能存在的微生物。收集这些样本的不寻常机会来自2022年夏天在纽约北部康奈尔大学校园内正在钻探的深井。这种深层环境被认为是一种极端环境，因为温暖的温度（150-200华氏度），高盐浓度，缺乏阳光（能量）和缺乏营养。微生物细胞将从收集的样品中计数，以更好地了解地下有多少活的生物。DNA将被分析，以确定哪些类型的微生物生活在地下，并了解这些微生物如何在这样的极端环境中生存。提高我们对地下微生物多样性以及它们如何生存的认识，可能会为地球和宇宙其他地方的生命起源提供新的见解。此外，这项研究将收集地下水进行化学分析，以更好地描述这种极端环境，并帮助在实验室中培养收集到的生物。总的来说，细胞计数、DNA、化学和生长实验将提高我们对地下生命的理解，以及生命对地球化学的影响。作为该项目的一部分，将在康奈尔大学钻孔观测站（CUBO）完成后收集深层地下盐水样本，CUBO是一个由能源部资助的3公里深地热勘探井，将于2022年夏季在康奈尔大学北部纽约校区钻探。该项目的主要目标是：（1）在计划的泵测试期间收集和保存水用于地球化学分析，（2）使用显微镜定量生物质浓度，（3）过滤和保存100升液体用于基因组分析，以及（4）建立富集培养物。采样将针对前寒武纪变质/结晶基底和上覆古生代沉积序列，深度为2.3 - 3.0 km，预计温度约为70-95 ℃。此处提出的用于地球化学和微生物表征的大体积流体采样不属于DOE支持范围的一部分。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。