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New life beneath sea and ice
Date:11/17/2008

(these are ancient bacteria-like organisms), which they have named the Mediterranean Sea Brine Lake Divisions.

There is ample life at the boundary between the concentrated basin and the ordinary seawater. "Because of the very high density of the brine, it does not mix with seawater," he explains, "and there is a sharp interface, about 1m thick."

In that layer, microbial diversity is incredibly rich. The research shows that these microbes largely live by sulphide oxidation. Like the communities at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean, they can survive independently of sunlight and oxygen. But they are an important store for organic carbon. "The deep-sea microbial communities in the Mediterranean fix as much or even more carbon dioxide each year as those in the surface layers," says Yakimov. "This carbon sink should be taken into account at the global scale."


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Contact: Brent Christner
xner@lsu.edu
225-578-1734
European Science Foundation
Source:Eurekalert

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