This Major Research Instrumentation award to University of Rhode Island provides funds to build and instrument a portable field laboratory for research and research training focused on subseafloor life. The laboratory will be designed to be carried on research vessels or used on land to study estuarine regimes. It will be fully outfitted for 1) microbiological and biogeochemical sampling of diverse subsurface environments, 2) on-site analyses of biologically significant transient properties, and 3) on-site analyses of chemical and physical properties that will be used to guide microbiological and biogeochemical sampling strategies. It will be used to sample subsurface life from diverse marine environments, including estuaries and coastal sediments, shallow sediments of the deep ocean, and ocean crustal aquifers. Samples and analyses taken with the proposed field laboratory will allow URI scientists and the broader scientific community to document the nature of life in diverse subseafloor environments. The broader impact of the acquisition includes a strong education and outreach development at URI, and it should lead to a better understanding of subsurface biota, and possibly help understand the origin of life on earth. URI is providing 30% of the project cost from non-federal funds. This proposal is supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences at NSF. ***
