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| Title: | The sulfur cycle in a permanently meromictic haloalkaline lake |
| Author (s): | Pinkart, HollyC. Simonsen, Brita Peyton, Brent Mormile, Melanie R. |
| Department/Lab Affiliations: | Biological Sciences Energy Research and Development Center Environmental Research Center |
| Keywords: | Montana brackish mixolimnion haloalkaline lake sulfur |
| Issue Date: | 2006 |
| Publisher: | International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) |
| Citation: | Pinkart, H.C. and Brita Simonsen, Brent Peyton and Melanie Mormile. The Sulfur Cycle in a Permanently Meromictic Haloalkaline Lake. Proceedings of SPIE -- Volume 6309 (2006) |
| Abstract: | Soap Lake is a haloalkaline lake located in central Washington. This lake is a remnant of the Missoula flood events that created the landscape of western Montana, the southeastern portion of Washington state, and much of Oregon. It is 15,000 - 20,000 years old, and has maintained a stable meromixis for the last 10,000 years. This carbonate lake is characterized by a brackish mixolimnion, and a monimolimnion with a salinity of ~14%. The pH of both layers of the lake is approximately 10. Both layers also have a high concentration of dissolved sulfate, with the mineral mirabilite (Na2SO4[bullet]10H2O) found in the monimolimnion sediments. Sulfide concentrations in the monimolimnion exceed 100 mM. As part of the mission of the NSF Soap Lake Microbial Observatory, microorganisms involved in the sulfur cycle in this lake were studied in terms of their diversity and function. High rates of sulfate reduction were measured in both layers of the lake, with new species of sulfate-reducing bacteria seen in both areas. A particularly novel psychrophilic sulfur oxidizer was isolated from the monimolimnion. This organism has the ability to induce the formation of mirabilite, which was assumed to be an abiotically deposited evaporite mineral. This is the first evidence for a biogenic origin of this mineral. This leads to the possibility that related sulfate minerals, such as those reported on the Mars surface, may have a biogenic origin. |
| Type: | Article - Journal text |
| In Title: | SPIE |
| Copyright Notice: | This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder FULL COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: |
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| title | The sulfur cycle in a permanently meromictic haloalkaline lake |
| contributor.author | Pinkart, HollyC. |
| contributor.author | Simonsen, Brita |
| contributor.author | Peyton, Brent |
| contributor.author | Mormile, Melanie R. |
| contributor.deptlab | Biological Sciences |
| contributor.deptlab | Energy Research and Development Center |
| contributor.deptlab | Environmental Research Center |
| subject | Montana |
| subject | brackish mixolimnion |
| subject | haloalkaline lake |
| subject | sulfur |
| date.issued | 2006 |
| publisher | International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) |
| identifier.citation | Pinkart, H.C. and Brita Simonsen, Brent Peyton and Melanie Mormile. The Sulfur Cycle in a Permanently Meromictic Haloalkaline Lake. Proceedings of SPIE -- Volume 6309 (2006) |
| identifier.pub.URI | |
| description.abstract | Soap Lake is a haloalkaline lake located in central Washington. This lake is a remnant of the Missoula flood events that created the landscape of western Montana, the southeastern portion of Washington state, and much of Oregon. It is 15,000 - 20,000 years old, and has maintained a stable meromixis for the last 10,000 years. This carbonate lake is characterized by a brackish mixolimnion, and a monimolimnion with a salinity of ~14%. The pH of both layers of the lake is approximately 10. Both layers also have a high concentration of dissolved sulfate, with the mineral mirabilite (Na2SO4[bullet]10H2O) found in the monimolimnion sediments. Sulfide concentrations in the monimolimnion exceed 100 mM. As part of the mission of the NSF Soap Lake Microbial Observatory, microorganisms involved in the sulfur cycle in this lake were studied in terms of their diversity and function. High rates of sulfate reduction were measured in both layers of the lake, with new species of sulfate-reducing bacteria seen in both areas. A particularly novel psychrophilic sulfur oxidizer was isolated from the monimolimnion. This organism has the ability to induce the formation of mirabilite, which was assumed to be an abiotically deposited evaporite mineral. This is the first evidence for a biogenic origin of this mineral. This leads to the possibility that related sulfate minerals, such as those reported on the Mars surface, may have a biogenic origin. |
| type | Article - Journal |
| type.DCMIType | text |
| type.status | Postprint |
| rights | This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder |
| rights.URI | |
| relation.isPartOf | SPIE |
| date.available | 2008-05-29T20:01:59Z |
| identifier.persist.URI |