Other Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Control Of Denitrification In A Permanently Ice Covered Antarctic Lake: Potential For Regulation By Bioactive Metals, Mark Wells

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Lake Bonney is a permanently ice-covered lake in the Dry ValleyÆs region of Antarctica separated into two deep lobes by a shallow (12 m) sill. Denitrification occurs in the sub-oxic, saline waters of the west lobe but not in that of the east lobe for reasons unknown. Previous work has established this disparity cannot be attributed to temperature or salinity limitations, nor by the comparative availability of organic carbon substrates. Our research objective is to determine if trace metal limitation or toxicity may be responsible for this unusual feature. The broader objective is to assess the likelihood that denitrification in …