Fluorescent Microspheres as Proxies for Microorganism in a Deep Subseafloor Tracer Transport Experiment

Date
2014-09-26
Authors
Teh, Soo
Contributor
Advisor
Cowen, James
Department
Geology and Geophysics
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
There is growing evidence that the subseafloor biosphere extends throughout the immense volume of aging basement underlying the global system of mid-ocean ridge flanks and ocean basins. The umbrella Tracer Transport experiment will be conducted by injecting fluorescent microspheres into a borehole on the flank of Juan de Fuca Ridge and monitoring their arrival at all of the observation boreholes. Microsphere transport rates obtained from this experiment will provide a basis for evaluating the origin of microbes observed in 3.5 million year old sediment-buried basement. In this experiment, the fluorescent microspheres are used as proxies for microorganism. Colloid tracers such as fluorescent microspheres are used to characterize flow rates and preferred flow paths of groundwater, and to gain information about the subsurface transport of microbial pathogens, or other colloidal contaminants. The objective of my thesis is to study the compatibility of these microspheres to the ocean basement environment for the tracer transport experiment, by defining their detection limits within the context of deep basement environment by the detection methods available, studying the characteristics of the microspheres and studying the behavior of colloid tracers through a basalt core. From the detection limit experiment, the minimum concentration detected for the fluorescence microscopy method is 10 microspheres/ filter and for the flow cytometry method is 40 microspheres/ ml. The two methods yield very similar results. Microspheres also clump significantly at high concentrations. The size and fluorescence of the microspheres remain unaffected by light, salinity, temperature (4 to 60 °C) or pressure (up to 80 bars).
Description
Keywords
Citation
Extent
viii, 43 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Table of Contents
Rights
All UHM Honors Projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.