Microbial life in ocean sediments and rocks plays a critical role in the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon, sulfur, and iron. We are studying samples collected from the South Atlantic during Expeditions 390 and 393 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. We are interested in knowing how seawater circulation may introduce nutrients and oxidants into the seafloor, how microorganisms survive in these deep sea sediments, and how microbial activity changes along an age transect of ocean floor.
See our preliminary report here: http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/390/
