Our research group investigates the effects of microbial activity on geologic processes and vice versa. We mainly focus on sedimentary systems but have recently also reached out into igneous and metamorphic environments. Access to subsurface environments is usually done via drilling, we are therefore involved in the two scientific drilling projects, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and its successor IODP3, as well as the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP).
The central questions of our research are:
- What metabolic processes are taking place in the subsurface and at what rates?
- Do human or natural perturbations have any influence on microbial activity, if yes, which?
- What are the limits of life in the deep subsurface?
- How do organisms adapt to the conditions in the deep subsurface?
We employ a wide range of tools, ranging from pore water chemistry and radioisotope incubations over high-pressure cultivations to molecular biological methods.
The projects of our group reflect the wide range of questions.