The terrestrial subsurface remains one of the least explored microbial habitats on earth, and is critical for understanding pollutant migration and attenuation, subsurface processes such as limestone dissolution (affecting porosity), and the search for life elsewhere in the solar system and beyond. The deep and sulfidic Frasassi aquifer (of Ancona, Italy) has emerged as a model system for studying sulfur cycling in the terrestrial subsurface, and this sequencing project has relevance for developing applications for wastewater treatment and capabilities relevant for radionuclide, metal and organic pollutant remediation that can be applied at environments at DOE subsurface sites.
Principal Investigators: Jennifer Macalady, Penn State University
Program: CSP 2011