Evidence of microbial consortia metabolizing within a low-latitude mountain glacier

R. Kramer Campen, Todd Sowers, Richard B. Alley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) concentrations of ice samples from a South American mountain glacier are larger than those in coeval polar ice cores. Of the six possible mechanisms that may cause the composition of air measured in ice cores to depart from that of the overlying troposphere (gravitational fractionation, thermal fractionation, gases trapped in refrozen meltwater, atmospheric heterogeneity, abiotic chemical reactions, and biologically mediated chemical reactions), only metabolism of a consortium of microorganisms within the ice can explain our data.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)231-234
Number of pages4
JournalGeology
Volume31
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2003

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geology

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