News Release 18-110

Deep biosphere beneath the seafloor explored at American Geophysical Union fall meeting

Scientists present recent findings on ‘dark energy’ in the subsurface biosphere



Scientists have found that rocks beneath the seafloor are teeming with microbial life.



December 3, 2018



This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

In his 1864 science fiction novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne wrote: "Who in his wildest dreams could have imagined that, beneath the crust of our Earth, there could exist a real ocean ... a sea that has given shelter to species unknown?"

Fast-forward more than 150 years to the upcoming American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall meeting, where scientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) will discuss recent progress in understanding what Verne only envisioned: life beneath the seafloor. The meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., from Dec. 10 to 14. Researchers affiliated with C-DEBI, one of 12 NSF Science and Technology Centers, are supported by NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

The scientists are working to understand the nature of subseafloor microbial communities and whether these communities are unique. They're also researching where microbes in ocean crust come from and whether these microbes can provide clues about where to look for life on other planets.

Once considered a barren plain, the seafloor and the crust beneath it are humming with microbial life or, as researchers refer to it, "dark energy." Subseafloor bacteria not only exist, they're more abundant and diverse than previously thought. The bacteria "feed" on the planet's ocean crust, posing questions about ocean chemistry and the co-evolution of Earth and life.

While scientists have estimated that microbes living in deep ocean sediments may represent as much as one-third of Earth's total biomass, the habitable part of the ocean crust may be 10 times as great.

Though dark environments once appeared to offer little energy for sustaining life, the abundance of microbes discovered in the subseafloor is causing scientists to wonder how long life may have thrived there - and what percent of Earth's biosphere it ultimately makes up.

C-DEBI-related sessions at AGU include:

Monday, Dec. 10



8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.



V11B: Crustal Formation, Fluid-Rock Reactions, and Subsurface Microbial Communities in the Samail Ophiolite: Results from the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research II

Marriott Marquis - Marquis 6

ED11A: Aiming for Truly Diverse Diversity to Strengthen the Geoscience Community I

Marriott Marquis - Marquis 7-8

8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

V11E: Earth's Organic Carbon Cycle: From Oceans to Mantle Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

V12B: Crustal Formation, Fluid-Rock Reactions, and Subsurface Microbial Communities in the Samail Ophiolite: Results from the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research

Marriott Marquis - Marquis 6

ED12A: Aiming for Truly Diverse Diversity to Strengthen the Geoscience Community II

Marriott Marquis - Marquis 7-8

1:40 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

ED13C: Aiming for Truly Diverse Diversity to Strengthen the Geoscience Community III Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

V13E: Crustal Formation, Fluid-Rock Reactions and Subsurface Microbial Communities in the Samail ophiolite: Results from the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research I Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

V14A: Oceanic Intraplate Volcanism II

Marriott Marquis - Liberty I-K

Tuesday, Dec. 11

1:40 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

B23E: Integrated Habitability Science: Forecasting the Trajectory of Life and Planetary Habitability on Earth and Beyond Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

B23F: Picky Eating in the Deep Subsurface? Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

Wednesday, Dec. 12

1:40 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.

P33A: Enceladus: A World Awaiting I

Convention Center 207A

V33A: Hydrothermal Systems in Oceanic Arcs: Subseafloor Structure, Mineralization Processes, and Vent Communities I

Marriott Marquis - Liberty L

1:40 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

P33G: Analogue Studies of Gradient Systems Relevant to Astrobiology on Ocean Worlds and Mars I Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

V34A: Hydrothermal Systems in Oceanic Arcs: Subseafloor Structure, Mineralization Processes, and Vent Communities II

Marriott Marquis - Liberty L

Thursday, Dec. 13

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

B41B: Centennial: Biogeosciences--Defining the Pulse of a Living Planet

Convention Center 143A-C

10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

B42B: Centennial: Transformational Contributions over the Past 100 Years in the Biogeosciences I

Convention Center 143A-C

P42B: From the Earth to the Moons: Unraveling the Geologic, Oceanographic, and Chemical Mysteries of Ice and Ocean Worlds III

Convention Center 207A

1:40 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.

P23B: "The New Mars Underground": Science and Exploration of a New Deep Frontier II

Convention Center 206

1:40 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

B43H: Microbiome and Microbial Biogeochemistry in Terrestrial Saline/Hypersaline Environments Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

P43F: Enceladus: A World Awaiting II Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

V43F: Hydrothermal Systems in Oceanic Arcs: Subseafloor Structure, Mineralization Processes, and Vent Communities III Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

V43G: New Insights into Oceanic Spreading Centers from Seafloor Observatories Posters

Convention Center Hall A-C (Poster Hall)

Friday, Dec. 14

10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

V52B: New Insights into Oceanic Spreading Centers from Seafloor Observatories I

Marriott Marquis - Capitol/Congress

-NSF-



Basalt rocks on and under the ocean bottom harbor abundant deep-sea bacteria.

Credit and Larger Version



The ocean research drillship JOIDES Resolution is used to obtain samples from beneath the seafloor.

Credit and Larger Version



A view from the deck of the drillship JOIDES Resolution; deep below lies the seafloor.

Credit and Larger Version



A watertight seafloor well is used to take samples from aquifers deep beneath the ocean.

Credit and Larger Version



"Dark energy" is found in ocean depths; life abounds above and below the seafloor.

Credit and Larger Version

Media Contacts

Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, email: cdybas@nsf.gov



The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

Get News Updates by Email

Connect with us online

NSF website: nsf.gov

NSF News: nsf.gov/news

For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom

Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/

Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social

Twitter: twitter.com/NSF and twitter.com/NSFspox

Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov