From October 29 through November 11 part of my group (including Sebastian Krause, DeMarcus Robinson, David Yousavich, myself), was onboard the RV Atlantis (AT42-19 Expedition) together with a team from UCSB (lead by chief scientist Dave Valentine) and a team from the MPI Bremen/AWI (Frank Wenzhoefer and Felix Janssen). Our goal was to study the seasonal dynamics of giant sulfur bacteria mats in the low- to no-oxygen zone of the Santa Barbara Basin and their coupling to sulfur, nitrogen, and other element cycling. We deployed benthic chambers and microprofilers and collected sediment pushcores with the ROV Jason. We further used the AUV Sentry to map 3D oxygen distribution and other parameters in the water column and to produce a photo mosaic of the mat distribution at the seafloor. We also deployed several casts of CTD/Rosettes and collected a gravity corer. More information about our NSF-funded research can be found here. This was the first of two planned expeditions. We are very grateful for all the support we received on board the Atlantis. The three science teams worked hard and with joy to achieve our project goals.

Early July our group headed out on a trip to Santa Barbara to conduct field work in the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve. The fieldwork was supported by our newly funded NSF grant “Deciphering the cryptic cycling of methane in sediments of a coastal wetland“. Sampling was ….very muddy…. and a lot of fun. We collected a good set of sediment cores from different stations along the salinity gradient from almost freshwater to hypersaline. Back in the lab at UCLA we will study the close relationship between methylotrophic methanogens and anaerobic methanotrophs.

Finally I managed to upload the PhD, master/diploma, and bachelor theses from my group. Take a look if you find something useful for your research: Get me to the page

The RadTrace Network is going online!

What is this and why?

We have started a few years ago by building a team (now the core group of the network) to closely collaborate in the framework of IODP Expedition 370 T-Limit of the Deep Biosphere to coordinate and conduct a comprehensive suit of microbial activity measurements using radioactive tracer compounds. Most of us knew each other from different collaborations in the past but this time we worked all together across different countries and continents closely coordinating all work and logistics.

We have noticed growing interest in the application of radio-tracer techniques to determine metabolic rates of subsurface microbes because these methods provide exceptionally low detection limits which were substantially improved over the past decade in order to be successfully applied to low activity and low energy environments in the deep biosphere.

Conducting radio-tracer experiments in the field and/or at the home laboratory, especially with precious, expensive, and often low active samples, requires additional efforts in dealing with sampling, sample preservation, contamination control, logistics, health and safety concerns and necessary bureaucracy. We provide and want to establish a network for interested active researchers where they can find help, information and support for this type of work. We aim to share expertise and knowledge and enable cooperation within frame of general science etiquette.  We will provide ways to connect to the network soon. Stay tuned!

Interested public is welcome to contact us to seek information about our work, the aims and goals of our research and requests or concerns of any kind.

So long,

The RadTrace Network

Visit Website: https://radtracenetwork.wordpress.com
Join our Mailing List: https://radtracenetwork.wordpress.com/connect/
Follow us on Twitter: ‎@radtracenetwork

Last week, international scientists met at UCLA’s Lake Arrowhead Conference Center to discuss the production and emission of oceanic methane and nitrous oxide. For three days we discussed the current knowledge, the establishment of standard operating procedures, and future research needs. It was a very productive meeting and it was great to bring so many experts together.

The OCB Workshop was organized by Sam Wilson (Lead), Bonnie Chang, Curtis Deutsch, Adam Jones, John Kessler, Tina Treude, Dave Valentine, and Bess Ward and funded by OCB, NSF, NASA, the Moore Foundation and SCOR.

This week my two new group members, De’Marcus Robinson (left) and David Yousavich (right), started at UCLA. DeMarcus is a graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, David is a graduate student in the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences.

De’Marcus received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) where he majored Environmental Science with a concentration in Toxicology/Risk Analysis. At his undergraduate university his research looked at creating a material that absorbs oil through organic chemistry and electrospinning. He also received internship investigating microbial lake productivity in the Sierra Nevada Watershed at University of Southern California (USC) through the C-DEBI (Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigation) course, and another internship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) investigating Turbinaria Ornata, an invasive macrogalge, in the coral reefs of Mo’orea.

David received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University (OH) where he majored in Chemistry and Zoology. There he did research in algal biofuels and cellulose degrading bacteria. After graduating, he worked as a research assistant on projects involving K-12 science education and molecular biology. He received his Master’s degree from Cal State LA in Geology and did research in the bioremediation of heavy metals in Los Angeles, specifically in analyzing processes governing the sequestration of copper, lead, and zinc in bioremediation media.

Both De’Marcus and David will be involved in studying bacterial sulfur and nitrogen cycling in aquatic environments in my group.

Welcome, De’Marcus and David, to UCLA!

From Sep 9-16 I served as a one of the trainers for the MEDSALT summer school for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers (EU-COST Action: Uncovering the Mediterranean salt giant). It was the 4th training school of the COST Action with the title “Deep Life in Buried Salt Deposits“.

The school started in Colchester, UK at the University of Essex with scientific presentations and lab instructions. Participants then moved on to Whitby, from were we visited the Boulby mine and the Boulby Underground Laboratory located 1,100 m below surface – a highlight of the school.

Students and Trainers had a great experience and I am impressed by the interdisciplinary scientific discussions that developed during our time, uniting geologists, geochemists and microbiologists.

Find out more on Twitter: @MedSalt
 

 

During the International Conference on Ocean Deoxygenation in Kiel, Germany, Sep 3-7 2018 we developed a declaration that requests immediate steps to reduce the loss of oxygen in our oceans. If you like to be part of this declaration, sign it now here:

https://www.ocean-oxygen.org/declaration

Returned from the IODP 370 (Temperature Limit of the Deep Biosphere) Meeting in Scotland last week. Was great to see all my friend colleagues and to watch how beautifully the data of the expedition are getting together.

Apply now for the OCB Oceanic Methane and Nitrous Oxide: The present situation and future scenarios three day workshop on oceanic methane and nitrous oxide covering chemical analysis, microbial metabolism, and our observational and predictive capabilities.

Apply here by June 1.

The workshop will take place October 28-31, 2018 at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center (California, USA).

Workshop Overview
Where in the global oceans should spatial and temporal surveys be conducted to discern climatologically-relevant changes in water-column inventories of methane and nitrous oxide?  This is an important question facing oceanographers today. However, attempts to answer this question stimulate many related and relevant queries concerning the production and consumption of methane and nitrous oxide in the ocean. For example, how will their water-column concentrations be influenced by factors such as increasing seawater temperatures, decreasing oxygen concentrations, and changing nutrient loading? Do we have sufficient analytical and observational capacity to conduct robust temporal surveys? Do we sufficiently comprehend the microbial metabolic pathways that produce and consume these two trace gases?

The workshop will address these questions to help determine the future directions of methane and nitrous oxide measurements in the global oceans. The workshop builds off a series of global inter-comparison exercises of nitrous oxide and methane. Participation in the workshop is open to everyone and attendees will be decided based on application. All documents including planning papers, agendas, and presentations will be made available from the workshop website over the forthcoming months. For more information please contact Sam Wilson (stwilson@hawaii.edu) or any of the steering committee. To be added to the workshop email list, please contact us.