methane seep Archives - Astrobiology

ROV image of a partially collapsed gas hydrate mound in the Molloy Deep (Freya mounds). The mound hosts frenulate worms and crustaceans. Photo: UiT / Ocean Census / REV Ocean

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Deepest Gas Hydrate Cold Seep Ever Discovered In The Arctic

by Keith CowingDecember 31, 2025December 31, 2025

A multinational scientific team led by UiT has uncovered the deepest known gas hydrate cold seep on the planet. The discovery was made during the Ocean Census Arctic Deep – EXTREME24 expedition […]

A sea spider preserved in osmium tetroxide for the purpose of enhancing tissue contrast for electron microscopy. This male sea spider mated with two separate females. This is evident due to the different developmental stages of the offspring within the egg cases being carried. -- Occidental College

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Exploration: Methane-powered Sea Spiders

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2025June 21, 2025

Bianca Dal Bó, a biology major from Berkeley, has spent the last five years delving into the mysteries of deep-sea life. Guided by Professor of Biology Shana Goffredi, she researches […]

A: XRF maps of Ca, Fe, and Mn; RGB map of U, Mn, and Fe. Calcite and detrital minerals can be distinguished by areas of high and low abundance in the Ca map. B: Manganese K-edge μXANES. C: Iron K-edge μXANES. Sample spectra in B,C shown as colored curves; reference spectra shown as black curves. -- eartharxiv.org

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Thermogenic Methane Production in Antarctic Subglacial Hydrocarbon Seeps

by Keith CowingApril 20, 2025April 20, 2025

Methane forms beneath ice sheets through microbial methanogenesis and thermogenic breakdown of organic matter, creating a potentially large greenhouse gas reservoir prone to release during glacial retreat.

MAGs and metabolic potential in and on carbonates with low, intermediate and high AOM activity. We sequenced the surface and the interior of R1, R9 and Chimlet with low, intermediate and high AOM activity, respectively, and binned MAGs from these six metagenomes to investigate taxonomy and metabolic potential. MAGs shown were selected based on relative abundance, shown in parenthesis, with a focus on Proteobacteria on the rock surface because of their higher abundance compared to the interior (Fig. 2c). Find a full list of MAGs in supplementary table 3. Anaerobic methane oxidizing archaea dominated the rock interiors, Ca. Methanophaga, in particular, and Ca. Desulfaltia was the most abundant interior SRB suggesting it may be an ANME partner bacterium. In contrast, the surface communities and their metabolic potentials differed between rocks along with the AOM activity of the carbonate, methane supply strength, and oxygen concentrations. We indicated the difference in methane supply to the rocks estimated based on the in situ observations with arrow size. Further, oxygen concentrations were higher at the Del Mar (22 µM) vs. SMM800 (8 µM) seep. -- biorxiv.org

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Distinct Microbial Communities Within and On Seep Carbonates Support Long-term Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane and Novel pMMO Diversity

by Keith CowingFebruary 10, 2025February 10, 2025

At methane seeps worldwide, syntrophic anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (ANME-SRB) promote carbonate precipitation and rock formation, acting as methane and carbon sink.

A live male specimen of the new species of deep-sea worm, named Pectinereis strickrotti after the lead Alvin pilot, Bruce Strickrott of WHOI who helped discover it. Its feathery appendages are called parapodia and carry the worm’s gills. CREDIT Ekin Tilic

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Deep-sea Worm Discovered At Methane Seep Off Of Costa Rica

by Keith CowingMarch 7, 2024March 7, 2024

Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm living near a methane seep some […]