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REACTOR Theme 3: Processes and dynamics of vents and seeps

REACTOR Theme 3 will investigate how the emissions of fluids and gases shape ocean-floor ecosystems, impact biogeochemical processes and influence element cycling in the deep ocean. We will also examine the effects of increasing ocean temperature on the vigor and style of gas emission as input to warm-world scenarios. Our goal is to understand the interplay between the geochemical attributes of vents and seeps and the biological and functional diversity in the associated chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. Symbioses between animals and microbes, and syntrophic interactions among different microbes using the abundant and diverse energy and nutrient sources will serve as model systems. We will examine the far-reaching effects of fluid emission on deep-water ocean biogeochemistry and water-column chemoautotrophy to reveal its impact on the ocean’s element cycling.