Program areas at Bahamas Marine Ecocentre
Research and education activities in the Bahamas are based out of the Darby Island Research Station, Bahamas which is maintained and operated by Bahamas Marine EcoCentre. In 2023, we focused on preparation of two manuscripts, both of which were submitted for publication in 2024. One was an evaluation of early diagenetic signatures of lithium and stable strontium isotopes in shallow marine carbonate sediments submitted to Chemical Geology. The second was synthesis of previous Bahamian microbialite research in an invited paper for Annual Reviews of Marine Science. Costs for Bahamian program services were mainly associated with station maintenance and travel.
A third area of research activity was Western Australia,where we cont'd research into modern marine stromatolites in Shark Bay. This research involved one PhD student. The following three papers were published in 2022 and 2023: (1) Vitek, B.E.; Suosaari, E.P.; Stolz, J.F.; Oehlert, A.M.; Reid, R.P. Initial Accretion in Hamelin Pool Microbialites: The Role of Entophysalis in Precipitation of Microbial Micrite. Geosciences 2022, 12, 304. httpsdoiorg103390geosciences12080... (2) Suosaari, E.P., Reid, R.P. Mercadier, C., Vitek, B.E, Oehlert, A.M., Stolz, J.F., Giusfredi, P.E., Eberli, G.P. (2022) The microbial carbonate factory of Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia: Scientific Reports (2022) 12:12902 | httpsdoiorg101038s4159802216651z (3) Vitek,B.E., Suosaari, E.P., Oehlert, A, M., Dupraz, C. Pollier, C.G.L., Reid, R.P. 2023. Bidirectional Fabric Evolution in Hamelin Pool Microbialites, Shark Bay, Western Australia. The Depositional Record, httpsonlinelibrarywileycomdoi1010...
Our second geographic area of research was the Atacama Desertof northern Chile where we continued monitoring stromatolite growth in saline lagoons. This research involved one post doctoral fellow and a consultant. Program expenses pertain to field activities, laboratory analyses and writing reports and publications. As reported in 2022, three peer reviewed papers were published in 2022 and additional papers are currently in preparation. (1) Oehlert AM, Suosaari EP, Kong T, Piggot AM, Maizel D, Lascu I, Demergasso C, Chong Díaz G, Reid RP. (2022) Physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks controlling brine geochemistry and lake morphology in polyextreme salar environments. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 25;836:155378. doiorg101016jscitotenv2022155378 Epub 2022 Apr 27. PMID: 35489513. (2) Suosaari, E.P., Lascu, I., Oehlert, A.M., Parlanti, P., Machabee, P.F., Piggot, A.M., Reid, R.P. 2022. Mg-clay biomineralization as a prerequisite to microbial carbonate precipitation in non-marine settings: a case study from the Puquios, Salar de Llamara, Northern Chile. Nature Communications Earth and Environment 2022 DOI 10.1038/s43247-022-00658-5. (3) Suosaari, E.P.; Oehlert,A.M.; Lascu, I.; Decho, A.W.; Piggot, A.M.; Palma, A.T.; Machabee, P.F.; Reid, R.P. (2022) Environmental and Biological Controls on Sedimentary Bottom Types in the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara, Northern Chile. Geosciences 2022, 12, 247. https:// doiorg103390geosciences12060247