People: Astrobiology Faculty

Debbie Kelley
Oceanography

One of the most satisfying and challenging aspects of Astrobiology is that it is inherently interdisciplinary. As part of this program, the Extreme Environments research group at the UW, and through participation in the NEPTUNE project, I have a wonderful opportunity to partake in a wide range of interdisciplinary science and outreach projects focused on examining the linkages between submarine volcanoes, underwater hot springs, and the life that they support. A significant component of this research is important in guiding us towards exploring for life on other planets.

Part of my current research seeks to understand the conditions under which life thrives, survives and expires within the dynamic environments of submarine hydrothermal vents. This project includes development of an in situ microbial incubator that measures environmental conditions inside the walls of black smoker chimneys and allows newly colonized microbes to be recovered. It is part of an intense long-term observatory effort at the Juan de Fuca Ridge (funded by NSF and the Keck Foundation). This area, located only 18 hours away via our oceanographic research ships, is an incredible place to work. It hosts the most robustly venting hydrothermal system known in the world's oceans and our group has been studying this site for more than 20 years. One of my greatest joys is going to sea with my colleagues and graduate students to this area and studying its seafloor ecosystem through use of the robotic vehicles and 3-person submersible Alvin.

One of the projects I am most excited about is investigating the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, which we helped discover in 2000. The field is unlike any known hydrothermal system in that it rests on 1-2-million-year-old mantle rocks and hosts actively venting carbonate chimneys, which tower 60 m above the surrounding seafloor. In 2003, I led an expedition for the first detailed interdisciplinary investigation of this remarkable place. Ten students dove to the seafloor in Alvin, many for the first time. Bathed in hydrogen- and methane-enriched warm fluids, the chimneys are host to a rich community of novel microorganisms and larger animals. For me, this discovery emphasizes that there is much left to be discovered about our planet and its oceans.