The Methane Balance

Formation and Destruction Processes on Planets, their Satellites and in the Interstellar Medium

methane
 

A detailed list with adresses and contact details of the participants can be found here.

Prof. Yuri Aikawa (Kobe University, Japan)

I am working on molecular evolution in molecular clouds and protoplanetary disks. Astronomers observe radiation from molecules and grains in these objects to study how the stars and planetary systems are formed. Molecular abundance is important, since it determines the molecular line intensities. Molecular abundance can also be a probe of
physcial evolution of the objects, since the abundance varies with time. In planetary sciences, chemical composition of primordial matter, such as comets and meteorites are intensively observed and analyzed to investigate the origin of our solar system. Theoretical modeling and observation of disk chemistry will link these information on the solar system to more general astronomical phenomena. I mainly work on the numerical simulations of molecular evolution, which are compared with observations. My current studies include the radio- and infrared-observationss, as well. Further infos on Prof. Aikawas website.

 

Charlou

Prof. Jean-Luc Charlou (IFREMER Centre de Brest, France)

I am a research senior scientist working on the fluid circulation on oceanic Ridges and Margins. My research interests include the geochemistry of methane in hot and cold extreme oceanic environments on the Earth planet, the exploration of mid-oceanic ridges, the tracking of hydrothermal plumes of methane issued from active hydrothermal vents along the mid-oceanic ridges and in back-arc basins, the geochemistry of the hot-temperature fluids with a special focus on the gases (CH4, H2, CO2). I have expertise on the origins (abiogenic or biogenic) of methane in various deep sea environments, on natural gas hydrate geochemistry, on methane fluxes from oceanic high temperature hydrothermal vent fields and from cold seepages from mud volcanoes and pockmarks.

I have an expertise at sea, organizing, developing technologies and participating to 30 Oceanographic cruises, including 13 diving cruises with manned submersibles, and 5 cruises with ROV.

I was involved in many European and International programmes: French-US cooperation – FARA project- 1989 to 1996- along the mid-Atlantic Ridge; French-Japan cooperation – STARMER (1992-1996) and New STARMER (1996-2000) projects in the back-arc basins in the soyh-west Pacific; European programmes MAST-II Marflux/ATJ (1994-1997) and MAST-III- Amores (1997-2000) on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, south of the Azores; European HERMES programme (2004-2008) on the Norvegian margin; MOMARnet programme: Monitoring deep seafloor hydrothermal environments on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge- A Marie Curie Research Training Research (2004-2008)

I am member of many scientific societies in Geochemistry and I published a lot of articles touching the geochemistry of methane in high-level scientific Geoscience journals, explaining a good classification as highly cited Researcher, Thomson Institute for Scientific Information (H-index: 31)

Steve

Prof. Steven D’Hondt (University of Rhode Island, USA)

  • Lead Proponent and Co-Chief Scientist of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Leg 329 (2010, the second ocean drilling expedition dedicated to study of subsurface life).
  • Chief Scientist, Equatorial and North Pacific expedition (Oceanographic control and global distributions of subseafloor microbial life and activity), RV Knorr (inaugural scientific voyage of the U.S. deep piston-coring facility built by WHOI), Costa Rica to Hawaii, Jan-Feb 2009, sponsored by NSF-OCE (BIO).
  • Chief Scientist, Knox-02RR, subsurface life survey expedition, South Pacific gyre, Dec 2006-Jan 2007, sponsored by NSF-ODP.
  • Lead Proponent and Co-Chief Scientist of Ocean Drilling Program Leg 201 (2002, the first ocean drilling expedition dedicated to study of subsurface life).
  • Director of the URI Geobiology Laboratory (2004-present).
  • Co-proponent of the NSF LExEn project that developed and outfitted the shipboard microbiology laboratory on the JOIDES Resolution (1999-2000).
  • Formal Community Service (2005-present): (a) Co-Chair, Subsurface Life Task Force, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Management International (2007-present); (b) Member, Benthic Systems Working Group, International Census of Marine Microbes, International Census of Marine Life (2004-present); (c) IODP Science Planning Committee Member (2002-2003 and 2007-2008); (c) Co-Chair, International Workshop on Exploring the Deep Biosphere with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program; (d) Executive Council Member, NASA Astrobiology Institute (2001-2006); (e) Editorial Board Member, Astrobiology(2003-present).

 

nils

Prof. Nils G. Holm(Stockholm University, Sweden)

In oceanic lithosphere on Earth a classic chemical reaction called the 'Fischer-Tropsch Type' (FTT) synthesis of organic compounds has been verified. In the commercial Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction organic compounds, especially alkanes, alcohols and fatty acids, are formed in an anhydrous process at high temperature from CO and H2 in the presence of a metal, metal oxide or mineral catalyst. Carbon of the Earth’s mantle is degassed primarily with respect to CO2 with a minor contribution of CO. Carbon dioxide may be reduced to CO in the presence of native Ni-Fe. Percolation of water leads to oxidation of Fe(II)-rich minerals, primarily olivine, in peridotite rock of the seafloor. Peridotite is an ultramafic rock, i.e. a rock with low silica content, that originates from the Earth's upper mantle. Molecular hydrogen formed from water is an important reaction product when the Fe(II) minerals are oxidized to magnetite. The hydrogen that is formed may be used directly as an electron donor by lithoautotrophic bacteria. However, it may also react in a FTT process with CO and CO2 degassed from the mantle (or that may originate from other sources) and in this way form abiotic organic compounds available for consumption by microorganisms. The classes of organic compounds that are predicted to form in relatively high quantities in these environments are, first of all, methane, but also larger organic compounds like linear hydrocarbons and fatty acids. The pure formation of methane from molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2 + 4H2 = CH4 + 2H2O) is normally specified as the ‘Sabatier process’.

 

Prof. Kensei Kobayashi (Yokohama National University, Japan)

I am studying chemical evolution (abiotic synthesis) processes in interstellar space, planetary atmospheres (primitive Earth, Titan) and hydrothermal systems.  Major active carbon sources in these environments are carbon monoxide, methane and methanol.  Energy sources considered are radiation (high energy particles), UV and heat.  When radiation energy was given to the mixture containing proper carbon source (such as methane) and nitrogen source, high molecular weight complex organic compounds were formed, which contained precursors of amino acids and nucleic acid constituents. Now we are characterize such complex organic compounds.  Both methane and carbon monoxide are effective to get such complex organics, but we expect that methane may yield more hydrophobic organics than carbon monoxide.

 

olivier

Dr. Olivier Mousis (Observatoire de Besançon, France)

Awards and Fellowships: October 2009: Member of the Institut Universitaire de France
(http://iuf.amue.fr/). July 2008: Prize of the young researcher of the year 2008 attributed by the French
Astronomical Society (http://sf2a.cesr.fr/php/spip/spip.php?rubrique9). August 2003: Attribution of a
postdoctoral fellowship by the European Spatial Agency for a position at the Bern University. Scientific
Excellence Award 2007-2011 (Prime d’Excellence Scientifique (PES)).

Administration activities: Elected member of the French National Research Council (since
september 2008). Member of the science definition team of the PRIME mission (spacecraft mission
submitted to NASA to explore Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3). Co-leader of the ESA
working group "Origins of the Jovian system" in the framework of the preparation of the future
spacecraft mission EJSM towards Jupiter and Europa (http://jupiter-europa.cesr.fr/). Member of the
“Origins” working Group involved in the preparation of the ESA/NASA TSSM mission towards Titan
and Enceladus. Referee of journals: Icarus, JGR Planets, MNRAS, SSRv, ApJ, PSS.

Research activities (keywords): solar system formation – cosmochemistry – ices – clathrate
hydrates – deuterium – satellites – giant planets – exoplanets – small bodies – infrared astronomy.

mike

Dr. Michael J. Mumma (Goddard Space Flight Centre, USA)

Professional Highlights
Dr. Mumma has 35 years of experience in astrobiology, atomic and molecular physics, quantitative spectroscopy (X-ray through radio wavelengths), and remote sensing of planetary and cometary atmospheres. His recent work on Mars (methane, water, ozone) has utilized observatories on Mauna Kea (NASA - IRTF and Keck) and in Chile (Gemini South and ESO-VLT). This work provided definitive measures of methane, water, HDO, and ozone on Mars.

Current Positions

  • Director, Goddard Center for Astrobiology, NASA GSFC (2003 – present)
  • Senior Scientist, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA GSFC (2005 – present)
  • Professor of Astronomy (Adjunct), University of Maryland (College Park) (2009 – present)

Selected Scientific Honors/Awards:

  • 2009, John C. Lindsay Memorial Award for Space Science (NASA GSFC).  “For Leadership and scientific contributions leading to the detection of methane on Mars.”
  • 1997, Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (NASA) – “For the first detection of saturated hydrocarbons in a cometary atmosphere (ethane and methane in comet Hyakutake)”.
  • 1990, Election to Fellowship - American Physical Society.

 

elisabetta

Dr. Maria Elisabetta Palumbo (INAF Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Italy)

Maria Elisabetta Palumbo has been working in the Laboratory for Experimental Astrophysics, at the Astrophysical Observatory of Catania, since April 1991.

In 1992, she graduated in Physics (Astrophysics option) at the University of Catania and in 1995 she concluded the PhD course in Physics. She works at the Astrophysical Observatory of Catania as staff member since July 1995.

In her research activity, she has studied experimentally, by infrared absorption spectroscopy and by Raman spectroscopy, the effects of fast ions (3-400 keV) impinging on frozen gases (ices) at low temperature (10-100 K). This is an interdisciplinary study relevant to our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of ices in the interstellar medium and outer Solar System objects including comets. In particular she has studied the role of ion irradiation in the evolution of icy grain mantles and in the formation of molecules observed in dense interstellar molecular clouds.

The main results she obtained focus on solid carbon monoxide and carbonyl sulfide, on the origin of carbon dioxide in interstellar icy grain mantles and on the structure of solid water.

She is author of more than 60 articles published on refereed international journals.

 

john

Prof. R. John Parkes (Cardiff University, UK)

John Parkes is a geomicrobiologist and biogeochemist who has an international research record. He investigates prokaryotic activity and biodiversity in sediments, and their environmental impacts and controls. Emphasis is on anaerobic prokaryotes, which often dominate biogeochemical processes in subsurface sediments. The range of environments studied, include marine, coastal and estuarine sediments, mud volcanoes, gas hydrate sediments and the terrestrial subsurface. He has pioneered the exploration and detection of prokaryotes in deep, sub-seafloor sediments (kilometres depth, 100 My old and at high temperatures and pressures) and has made a major contribution to the recognition of the enormous bacterial biomass in these “geological” habitats.

A particular focus has been on anaerobic methanogenesis and methanogens as these play a major role in anaerobic respiration. Rates of methane production from a range of substrates are measured in order to quantify active biogenic methane formation compared to existing gas concentrations and anaerobic methane oxidation, and hence, the source and dynamics of the huge concentrations of methane in marine sediments. The methanogens responsible for this production are also determined by a combination of DNA approaches and cultivation. A range of methanogens have recently been isolated from a range of sediments, with some having novel metabolisms. Methanogen interactions with other anaerobic prokaryotes is also being studied, including relationships with syntrophs. The effect of temperature and pressure on anaerobic processes is also studied, which is particularly interesting regarding biogenic and thermogenic methane formation.

 

mark

Dr. Mark Swain (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA)

Position and Professional Experience:

  •  Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  •  PI for high-dynamic-range exoplanet spectroscopy project
  •  Led discovery team for spectroscopic detection of
  •  CH4, CO2, & H2O, in two “hot-Jupiter” exoplanet atmospheres
  •  PI for numerous exoplanet spectroscopy observing including Hubble,
  •  Spitzer and the ground-based IRTF

Expertise:

  • Exoplanet spectroscopic characterization
  • High dynamic range spectroscopy
  • Infrared instrumentation, integration and test, and system engineering
  • Interferometry techniques

Recent Awards:

  • JPL Ed Stone Award (2009)
  • NASA group achievement award (2009)
hunter

Dr. J. Hunter Waite (South West Research Institute, USA)

Dr. Waite is a planetary scientist specializing in the application of mass spectrometry to the study of solar system biogeochemistry and aeronomy.  He is involved in research projects in ion/neutral mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, biogeochemistry, thermospheric modeling, and planetary astronomy.  Following completion of his undergraduate studies in physics at the University of Alabama in 1976, he began graduate work in atmospheric science at the University of Michigan. He received a M.S. in atmospheric science in 1978 and, in 1981, was awarded a Ph.D. for his development of a model of Saturn's ionosphere. From 1981 to 1988, Dr. Waite was a Research Scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where he was heavily involved in the analysis of Dynamics Explorer data on ion outflow from the Earth's ionosphere. From 1988 to 2000, Dr. Waite was at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), where he was Director of the Space Science Department of the Instrumentation and Space Research Division. Although still involved in studies of the Earth's coupled ionosphere-magnetosphere system, Professor Waite's work at SwRI was strongly focused on planetary research. In January of 2001, Dr. Waite became a full professor in the University of Michigan, Department of Engineering, Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences department. . Dr. Waite returned to SwRI as an Institute Scientist in May of 2006. His primary responsibilities include Director of the Center for Excellence in Analytical Mass Spectrometry, where he is involved in the definition and development of ion and neutral mass spectrometers and gas chromatographic techniques. He is the Team Leader for the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer investigation, co-investigator and lead SwRI hardware manager for the Rosetta/Rosina Reflectron Time-of-Flight, and principal investigator for the development of a Jupiter Thermosphere-Ionosphere General Circulation Model. Dr. Waite is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and Sigma Xi and a former editor of the AGU letters journal, Geophysical Research Letters. In 1996, he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Michigan's College of Engineering.

 

ziurys

Prof. Lucy M. Ziurys (Arizona Radio Observatory, USA)

At present, more than 130 different chemical species have been detected in interstellar space, primarily in giant gas clouds located throughout our Galaxy, and in gas envelopes surrounding old stars. Despite the extreme conditions of interstellar space, which is typically quite cold (T ~ 10-50 K) and very diffuse (n ~ 103 - 106 particles/cc), chemistry flourishes, producing a wide range of common, but often exotic, compounds, including many reactive radicals and molecular ions. It is now recognized that we live in a molecular universe.

One of the primary objectives of our research is to study the chemistry occurring in the vast regions of space via an interdisciplinary approach that involves high resolution molecular spectroscopy in the laboratory, radio astronomical observations, and chemical modeling. We are interested in discovering which chemical compounds exist and in which types of interstellar sources, how they are formed, and how this impacts the origins of solar systems and planets, and ultimately life. Of interest are small molecules containing metals such as iron, magnesium, and chromium; these species are also significant for organometallic chemistry. Small organic molecules related to sugars and nucleic acids are another area of investigation, and how they relate to the organic material found in meteorites. Phosphorus-bearing species are also of interest, primarily because of their biochemical importance.

Laboratory studies focus on the measurement of gas-phase rotational spectrum of species of astrophysical interest in the microwave, millimeter and sub-millimeter regions of the electromagnetic spectrum (~3-660 GHz). This goal requires design and construction of our own spectrometer systems, as shown in Figure 2. Currently, there are four working instruments in the Ziurys group: two mm/sub-mm direct absorption systems, a velocity-modulation spectrometer specifically designed to study molecular ions, and a pulse, Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) machine. Part of the laboratory work also concerns developing exotic synthetic techniques for creating these transient species in detectable concentrations. We have succeeded in recording the spectra of a wide range of metal-bearing species, in particular radicals and, more recently, ions, such as AlNC, CrCN, FeCO+, FeO+, MnH, and HZnCH3. Many of these species have unpaired electrons, and thus their spectra exhibit complex fine and hyperfine splittings (see Figure 3). Analysis of such data requires a detailed knowledge of quantum mechanics. Other investigations include possible pre-biotic species such as EtNH2 and hydroxyacetone. The “fingerprints” measured in the laboratory enable such species to be identified in space.

Interstellar molecules are primarily studied using the telescopes of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO), part of Arizona’s Steward Observatory. ARO operates the Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) on Mount Graham, AZ, and the 12 m at Kitt Peak (see Figure 4).

Observational studies in the Ziurys group include the identification of new interstellar species, such as AlNC, CH2OHCHO, and PO, which is usually conducted in conjunction with laboratory work. Other projects involve elucidating the chemistry associated with evolved stars, such as VY Canis Majoris, and the survival of molecules in planetary nebulae such as the Helix. Observations are also currently being conducted to trace the history of carbon and organic chemistry, from the origin of the element in nucleosynthesis, to the formation of the first organic compounds around evolved stars and their subsequent injection into the interstellar medium, to organic synthesis in dense clouds and in the pre-solar nebula, and the transport organic material to planet surfaces via comets and meteorites.


wolf

Dr. Wolf D. Geppert (Stockholm University, Sweden)

My areas of scientific expertise include:

  • Measurement of branching ratios and cross sections of dissociative recombination reactions
  • Model calculations of dark interstellar clouds
  • Observations of interstellar molecules and ions
  • Experimental (flow-tube) and theoretical (potential surface calculations) investigations into radical-neutral reactions
  • Studies of kinetics of atom-neutral reactions at the CRESU apparatus
  • Measurements of cross-sections of reactions of atoms with neutral molecules using a crossed molecular beam machine

I also function as the coordinator of ther Nordic Network of Astrobiology Graduate schools and as the Director of Studies at the Stockholm Astrobiology Graduate School of Astrobiology. Furthermorre I am Vice-chair of the COST Action "The Chemical Cosmos - Understanding Chemistry in Astronomical Environments"