Project: CAREER: Ecosystem Impacts of Microbial Succession and Production at Antarctic Methane Seeps

NSF Award Abstract
Part I: Non-technical description:
Methane is one of the more effective atmospheric gases at retaining heat in the lower atmosphere and the earth’s crust contains large quantities of methane. Research that identifies the factors that control methane’s release into the atmosphere is critical to understanding and mitigating climate change. One of the most effective natural processes that inhibits the release of methane from aquatic habitats is a community of bacteria and Archaea (microbes) that use the chemical energy stored in methane, transforming methane into less-climate-sensitive compounds. The amount of methane that may be released in Antarctica is unknown, and it is unclear which microbes consume the methane before it is released from the ocean in Antarctica. This project will study one of the few methane seeps known in Antarctica to advance our understanding of which microbes inhibit the release of methane in marine environments. The research will also identify if methane is a source of energy for other Antarctic organisms. The researchers will analyze the microbial species associated with methane consumption over several years of field and laboratory research based at an Antarctic US station, McMurdo. This project clearly expands the fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes outlined as a goal in the Antarctic solicitation. This research communicates and produces educational material for K-12, college, and graduate students to inspire and inform the public about the role Antarctic ecosystems play in the global environment. This project also provides a young professor an opportunity to establish himself as an expert in the field of Antarctic microbial ecology to help solidify his academic career.

Part II: Technical description:
Microbes act as filter to methane release from the ocean into the atmosphere, where microbial chemosynthetic production harvests the chemical energy stored in this greenhouse gas. In spite of methane reservoirs in Antarctica being as large as Arctic permafrost, we know only a little about the taxa or dominant processes involved in methane consumption in Antarctica. The principal investigator will undertake a genomic and transcriptomic study of microbial communities developed and still developing after initiation of methane seepage in McMurdo Sound. An Antarctic methane seep was discovered at this location in 2012 after it began seeping in 2011. Five years after it began releasing methane, the methane-oxidizing microbial community was underdeveloped and methane was still escaping from the seafloor. This project will be essential in elucidating the response of microbial communities to methane release and identify how methane oxidation occurs within the constraints of the low polar temperatures. This investigation is based on 4 years of field sampling and will establish a time series of the development of cold seep microbial communities in Antarctica. A genome-to-ecosystem approach will establish how the Southern Ocean microbial community is adapted to prevent methane release into the ocean. As methane is an organic carbon source, results from this study will have implications for the Southern Ocean carbon cycle. Two graduate students will be trained and supported with undergraduates participating in laboratory activities. The researcher aims to educate, inspire and communicate about Antarctic methane seeps to a broad community. A mixed-media approach, with videos, art and education in schools will be supported in collaboration with a filmmaker, teachers and a visual artist. Students will be trained in filmmaking and K-12 students from under-represented communities will be introduced to Antarctic science through visual arts.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.