Mediterranean deep-sea brine lakes: unique terrestrial environments and analogues to putative subsurface ocean on Europa

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Kenneth N. Timmis
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2005 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 18325324

Deep-sea hypersaline anoxic (DHA) lakes have been recently discovered on the seafloor of the Mediterranean Sea that share several extreme parameters such as high salinity, high pressure, absence of light and oxygen. Due to their physical and chemical features, the DHA lakes represent the best Earth analogues for evaluating potential habitats for life on some of the biggest of Jupiter s satellites, particularly Europa. The aim of the project is to investigate the microbial communities adapted to thrive in the DHA lakes. The project will be focused on studying metabolic diversity and the structure of the microbial brine community. Of special interest will be the study of adaptive strategies of microorganisms strategies in relation to the key factors driving the functioning of such peculiar systems. The microorganisms will be further screened for undiscovered chemicals or properties that may be of industrial and technological benefit. The obtained results will give the future opportunity for comparative studies of all the Mediterranean brines as unique environments and will contribute to our understanding of life limits. The Earth-based research will assist astrobiologists to refine exploration strategies and scientific priorities for future missions.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1115: Mars and the Terrestrial Planets