Methane seep systems along continental margins host diverse and dynamic microbial assemblages, sustained in large part through the microbially mediated process of sulfate-coupled Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane (AOM). This methanotrophic metabolism has been linked to a consortia of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). These two groups are the focus of n...

Two deep-water species of caridean shrimps collected during recent dives by the Chinese manned submersible "Jiaolong" represents new records for the South China Sea: Alvinocaris longirostris Kikuchi & Ohta, 1995 (Alvinocarididae) and Acanthephyra faxoni Calman, 1939 (Acanthephyridae). Specimens of these two species were collected from Jiaolong Cold Seep I, off Guangdong Province, China (depth 1...

Oil sand tailings pond water contains naphthenic acids and process chemicals (e.g., alkyl sulphates, quaternary ammonium compounds, and alkylphenol ethoxylates). These chemicals are toxic and can seep through the foundation of the tailings pond to the subsurface, potentially affecting the quality of groundwater. As a result, it is important to measure the thermodynamic and transport parameters ...

Cold seeps support fragile deep-sea communities of high biodiversity and are often found in areas with commercial interest. Protecting them from encroaching human impacts (bottom trawling, oil gas exploitation, climate change) requires an advanced understanding the drivers shaping their spatial distribution biodiversity. Based on analysis 2,075 high-quality images six remotely operated vehicle ...

Analyses of sulfide, methane, oxygen, and CO, in pore-water sampdes from three cold seep sites in Monterey Bay indicate that fluid chemistry is a strong determinant of the distribution of chemolithoautotrophic vesicomyid clams. The distribution of Culyptogena pacijca and Culyptogenu kilmeri were aligned closely with sulfide concentrations at all cold seeps and reflected species-specific capabil...

The bacterial endophytic communities of four plants growing abundantly in soils highly contaminated by hydrocarbons were analyzed through culturable and culture-independent means. Given their tolerance to the high levels of petroleum contamination at our study site, we sought evidence that Achillea millefolium, Solidago canadensis, Trifolium aureum, and Dactylis glomerata support high levels of...

In the article by White et al. (1) we find that the authors prematurely linked the condition of a single coral community to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, without evaluating other plausible explanations, including the presence of natural oil and gas seeps near the coral, and the potential for underwater landslides to carry seep sediments onto the coral. The single coral location in question, ...

Six species of squat lobsters from a cold seep field in the northeastern South China Sea are studied. Two new species, Uroptychus jiaolongae n. sp. and U. spinulosus n. sp., are described, and their distinctions from the related species are detailed. Two species, Munidopsis tuberosa Osawa, Lin & Chan, 2008 and M. verrilli Benedict, 1902, are herein reported for the first time from a cold seep/h...