How Rocks Support Microbial Life in the Deep Sea

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | In the deep sea, sunlight is not available to drive biomass production by photosynthesis. Instead, reactions between the rocky seafloor and seawater in hydrothermal systems are key to supporting life. Microbes can harness the chemical energy tied up in reduced chemicals made by water-rock reactions (geofuels) below the seabed. These microbes form the base of the food webs in many deep-sea ecosystems. But by which mechanisms and at what rates are these geofuels formed? What controls how much of which geofuel is available where on Earth? And how much biomass can be supported by the various geofuels in different parts of the oceans? I’ll be addressing some of these issues in my talk.

Wolfgang Bach is a petrologist at the University of Bremen and active in marine hydrothermal system research. He uses deep-sea robotics to sample fluids and rocks from hydrothermal vents. He also applies theory and experiments to investigate the supply and demand of chemical energy in hydrothermal vent settings.

Join Zoom event here.