Bernasconi
Stefano M.
Bernasconi
Stefano M.
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ArticleMulti-stage evolution of the Lost City hydrothermal vent fluids(Elsevier, 2022-08-13) Aquino, Karmina A. ; Früh-Green, Gretchen L. ; Rickli, Jörg ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Lang, Susan Q. ; Lilley, Marvin D. ; Butterfield, David A.Serpentinization-influenced hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF), are considered as potential sites for the origin of life. Despite an abundance of reducing power in this system (H2 and CH4), microbial habitability may be limited by high pH, elevated temperatures, and/or low concentrations of bioavailable carbon. At the LCHF, the relative contribution of biotic and abiotic processes to the vent fluid composition, especially in the lower temperature vents, remain poorly constrained. We present fluid chemistry and isotope data that suggest that all LCHF fluids are derived from a single endmember produced in the hotter, deeper subsurface essentially in the absence of microbial activity. The strontium isotope composition (87Sr/86Sr) of this fluid records the influence of underlying mantle and/or gabbroic rocks, whereas sulfur isotope composition indicates closed-system thermochemical sulfate reduction. Conductive cooling and transport is accompanied by continued sulfate reduction, likely microbial, and mixing with unaltered seawater, which produce second-order vents characterized by higher δ34Ssulfide and lower δ34Ssulfate values. Third-order vent fluids are produced by varying degrees of subsurface mixing between the first- and second-order fluids and a seawater-dominated fluid. Additional biotic and abiotic processes along different flow paths are needed to explain the spatial variability among the vents. Relationships between sulfur geochemistry and hydrogen concentrations dominantly reflect variations in temperature and/or distance from the primary outflow path. Methane concentrations are constant across the field which point to an origin independent of flow path and venting temperature. At Lost City, not all vent fluids appear to have zero Mg concentrations. Thus, we propose an extrapolation to a Sr isotope-endmember composition as an alternative method to estimate endmember fluid compositions at least in similar systems where a two-component mixing with respect to Sr isotopes between seawater and endmember fluids can be established.
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PreprintRapid 14C analysis of dissolved organic carbon in non-saline waters( 2016-06) Lang, Susan Q. ; McIntyre, Cameron P. ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Fruh-Green, Gretchen L. ; Voss, Britta M. ; Eglinton, Timothy I. ; Wacker, LukasThe radiocarbon content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in rivers, lakes, and other non-saline waters can provide valuable information on carbon cycling dynamics in the environment. DOC is typically prepared for 14C analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) either by ultraviolet (UV) oxidation or by freeze-drying and sealed tube combustion. We present here a new method for the rapid analysis of 14C of DOC using wet chemical oxidation (WCO) and automated headspace sampling of CO2. The approach is an adaption of recently developed methods using aqueous persulfate oxidant to determine the δ13C of DOC in non-saline water samples and the 14C content of volatile organic acids. One advantage of the current method over UV oxidation is higher throughput: 22 samples and 10 processing standards can be prepared in one day and analyzed in a second day, allowing a full suite of 14C processing standards and blanks to be run in conjunction with samples. A second advantage is that there is less potential for cross-contamination between samples.
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PreprintA warm and poorly ventilated deep Arctic Mediterranean during the last glacial period( 2015-07) Thornalley, David J. R. ; Bauch, H. A. ; Gebbie, Geoffrey A. ; Guo, Weifu ; Ziegler, Martin ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Barker, Stephen ; Skinner, Luke C. ; Yu, JiminChanges in the formation of dense water in the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas (the ‘Arctic Mediterranean’, AM) likely contributed to the altered climate of the last glacial period. We examine past changes in AM circulation by reconstructing 14C ventilation ages of the deep Nordic Seas over the last 30,000 years. Our results show that the deep glacial AM was extremely poorly ventilated (ventilation ages of up to 10,000 years). Subsequent episodic overflow of aged water into the mid-depth North Atlantic occurred during deglaciation. Proxy data also suggest the deep glacial AM was ~2-3°C warmer than modern; deglacial mixing of the deep AM with the upper ocean thus potentially contributed to melting sea-ice and icebergs, as well as proximal terminal ice-sheet margins.
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ArticleAn interlaboratory study of TEX86 and BIT analysis of sediments, extracts, and standard mixtures(John Wiley & Sons, 2013-12-20) Schouten, Stefan ; Hopmans, Ellen C. ; Rosell-Mele, Antoni ; Pearson, Ann ; Adam, Pierre ; Bauersachs, Thorsten ; Bard, Edouard ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Bianchi, Thomas S. ; Brocks, Jochen J. ; Carlson, Laura Truxal ; Castaneda, Isla S. ; Derenne, Sylvie ; Selver, Ayca Dogrul ; Dutta, Koushik ; Eglinton, Timothy I. ; Fosse, Celine ; Galy, Valier ; Grice, Kliti ; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe ; Huang, Yongsong ; Huguet, Arnaud ; Huguet, Carme ; Hurley, Sarah ; Ingalls, Anitra ; Jia, Guodong ; Keely, Brendan ; Knappy, Chris ; Kondo, Miyuki ; Krishnan, Srinath ; Lincoln, Sara ; Lipp, Julius S. ; Mangelsdorf, Kai ; Martínez-Garcia, Alfredo ; Menot, Guillemette ; Mets, Anchelique ; Mollenhauer, Gesine ; Ohkouchi, Naohiko ; Ossebaar, Jort ; Pagani, Mark ; Pancost, Richard D. ; Pearson, Emma J. ; Peterse, Francien ; Reichart, Gert-Jan ; Schaeffer, Philippe ; Schmitt, Gaby ; Schwark, Lorenz ; Shah, Sunita R. ; Smith, Richard W. ; Smittenberg, Rienk H. ; Summons, Roger E. ; Takano, Yoshinori ; Talbot, Helen M. ; Taylor, Kyle W. R. ; Tarozo, Rafael ; Uchida, Masao ; van Dongen, Bart E. ; Van Mooy, Benjamin A. S. ; Wang, Jinxiang ; Warren, Courtney ; Weijers, Johan W. H. ; Werne, Josef P. ; Woltering, Martijn ; Xie, Shucheng ; Yamamoto, Masanobu ; Yang, Huan ; Zhang, Chuanlun L. ; Zhang, Yige ; Zhao, Meixun ; Sinninghe Damste, Jaap S.Two commonly used proxies based on the distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are the TEX86 (TetraEther indeX of 86 carbon atoms) paleothermometer for sea surface temperature reconstructions and the BIT (Branched Isoprenoid Tetraether) index for reconstructing soil organic matter input to the ocean. An initial round-robin study of two sediment extracts, in which 15 laboratories participated, showed relatively consistent TEX86 values (reproducibility ±3–4°C when translated to temperature) but a large spread in BIT measurements (reproducibility ±0.41 on a scale of 0–1). Here we report results of a second round-robin study with 35 laboratories in which three sediments, one sediment extract, and two mixtures of pure, isolated GDGTs were analyzed. The results for TEX86 and BIT index showed improvement compared to the previous round-robin study. The reproducibility, indicating interlaboratory variation, of TEX86 values ranged from 1.3 to 3.0°C when translated to temperature. These results are similar to those of other temperature proxies used in paleoceanography. Comparison of the results obtained from one of the three sediments showed that TEX86 and BIT indices are not significantly affected by interlaboratory differences in sediment extraction techniques. BIT values of the sediments and extracts were at the extremes of the index with values close to 0 or 1, and showed good reproducibility (ranging from 0.013 to 0.042). However, the measured BIT values for the two GDGT mixtures, with known molar ratios of crenarchaeol and branched GDGTs, had intermediate BIT values and showed poor reproducibility and a large overestimation of the “true” (i.e., molar-based) BIT index. The latter is likely due to, among other factors, the higher mass spectrometric response of branched GDGTs compared to crenarchaeol, which also varies among mass spectrometers. Correction for this different mass spectrometric response showed a considerable improvement in the reproducibility of BIT index measurements among laboratories, as well as a substantially improved estimation of molar-based BIT values. This suggests that standard mixtures should be used in order to obtain consistent, and molar-based, BIT values.
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ArticleControls on mineral formation in high pH fluids from the Lost City Hydrothermal Field(American Geophysical Union, 2024-02-11) Aquino, Karmina A. ; Fruh-Green, Gretchen L. ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Bontognali, Tomaso R. R. ; Foubert, Anneleen ; Lang, Susan Q.Although the serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field (LCHF) was discovered more than 20 years ago, it remains unclear whether and how the presence of microbes affects the mineralogy and textures of the hydrothermal chimney structures. Most chimneys have flow textures comprised of mineral walls bounding paleo-channels, which are preserved in inactive vent structures to a varying degree. Brucite lines the internal part of these channels, while aragonite dominates the exterior. Calcite is also present locally, mostly associated with brucite. Based on a combination of microscopic and geochemical analyses, we interpret brucite, calcite, and aragonite as primary minerals that precipitate abiotically from mixing seawater and hydrothermal fluids. We also observed local brucite precipitation on microbial filaments and, in some cases, microbial filaments may affect the growth direction of brucite crystals. Brucite is more fluorescent than carbonate minerals, possibly indicating the presence of organic compounds. Our results point to brucite as an important substrate for microbial life in alkaline hydrothermal systems.
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ArticleFluid mixing and spatial geochemical variability in the Lost City hydrothermal field chimneys(American Geophysical Union, 2024-02-13) Aquino, Karmina A. ; Fruh-Green, Gretchen L. ; Bernasconi, Stefano M. ; Rickli, Jorg ; Lang, Susan Q. ; Lilley, Marvin D.Carbonate-brucite chimneys are a characteristic of low- to moderate-temperature, ultramafic-hosted alkaline hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field located on the Atlantis Massif at 30°N near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These chimneys form as a result of mixing between warm, serpentinization-derived vent fluids and cold seawater. Previous work has documented the evolution in mineralogy and geochemistry associated with the aging of the chimneys as hydrothermal activity wanes. However, little is known about spatial heterogeneities within and among actively venting chimneys. New mineralogical and geochemical data (87Sr/86Sr and stable C, O, and clumped isotopes) indicate that the brucite and calcite precipitate at elevated temperatures in vent fluid-dominated domains in the interior of chimneys. Exterior zones dominated by seawater are brucite-poor and aragonite is the main carbonate mineral. Carbonates record mostly out of equilibrium oxygen and clumped isotope signatures due to rapid precipitation upon vent fluid-seawater mixing. On the other hand, the carbonates precipitate closer to carbon isotope equilibrium, with dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater as the dominant carbon source and have δ13C values within the range of marine carbonates. Our data suggest that calcite is a primary mineral in the active hydrothermal chimneys and does not exclusively form as a replacement of aragonite during later alteration with seawater. Elevated formation temperatures and lower 87Sr/86Sr relative to aragonite in the same sample suggest that calcite may be the first carbonate mineral to precipitate.