Image: From December 7th-29th, many of our researchers and grad students will be participating in a research cruise in the Guaymas Basin. The Guaymas Basin is a frighteningly unique portion of the Mid- Ocean Ridge. One could expect to see volcanic eruptions (or evidence thereof) in most other parts of this ridge, but NOT in this basin. An incredibly thick layer of sediment has protected the organisms in the basin from hydrothermal vents present throughout the Mid- Ocean Ridge. This research cruise is a collaboration between Samantha Joye's lab (http://www.joyeresearchgroup.uga.edu) and Andreas Teske's at UNC Chapel Hill (https://sites.google.com/site/teskelab/Home/guaymas-basin). The Guaymas Basin has extremely high methane levels, so it's important for our environment that we understand the possible implications of these levels. This will also be the first investigation of rare earth metal dependency of deep water marine methanotrophs.
