Annika Mosier Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. C.H. Fritsen Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences Email: Annika.Mosier@dri.edu

Education

Professional Interests

My primary research interests are microbial ecology in extreme environments and astrobiology. I am currently investigating life in extremely cold settings. Specifically, my research explores the microbial communities found in the permanent ice cover of Lake Vida, Antarctica.

Lake Vida, located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, is an "ice-sealed" lake with ~19 meters of ice covering a highly saline liquid water column. The inferred saline lake beneath the ice remains liquid at a temperature of -10ºC presumably because of the high concentration of salts (245 ppt, 7 times greater than the salinity of seawater). The lake is unlike any other permanently ice covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys—no other lakes, such as this, are known to exist on earth. My research involves examining the microbial communities that exist in the ~19 m permanent ice cover of Lake Vida. The community survey encompasses determination of the distribution, abundance, and phylogeny of bacteria, archaea, and eukarya within the ice cover.

Mounting evidence of microbes persisting within icy environments on earth leads to the supposition that microbes may have inhabited ice on other planets during past or present times. Evidence strongly suggests that Europa (one of Jupiter's moons) and Mars harbor considerable amounts of ice. Therefore, these planets are primary targets for studies of potential life beyond earth. Further study of microorganisms found in the permanent ice cover Lake Vida will possibly provide insight into the icy habitats on Europa and Mars that may support or harbor life.

Recent Awards

• Governor Kenny Guinn Environmental Research Fellowship, 2004-2005
• NASA Space Grant Fellowship, 2003-2004
• Joan M. Comanor Scholarship, 2003-2004
• Ford Graduate Scholar, 2002-2004
• Graduate Student Association Travel Grant, Summer 2003

Selected Presentations / Publications

Mosier, A.C., A.E. Murray, J.C. Priscu, and C.H. Fritsen (2004)

Microbial assemblages in the 19-meter ice cover of Lake Vida, Antarctica as a potential analogue to icy environments beyond Earth. Poster Presentation. Astrobiology Science Conference. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

Mosier, A.C., A.E. Murray, J.C. Priscu, and C.H. Fritsen (2004)

Assessment of microbial populations in the 19-meter ice cover of Lake Vida, Antarctica. Poster Presentation. American Society of Microbiology General Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana.

Mosier, A.C. (2004)

Association between microbial ecology in the ice cover of Lake Vida and astrobiology. Oral Presentation. Annual Nevada Space Grant Consortium Conference. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mosier, A.C., A.E. Murray, P.T. Doran, and C.H. Fritsen (2004)

Microbial assemblages in the 19-meter ice cover of "ice-sealed" Lake Vida, Antarctica. Oral Presentation. NASA Astrobiology Graduate Conference. Tucson, Arizona.

Section Editor for an Astrobiology Primer publication (In Progress)

Organized by Dr. Rosalind Grymes, Deputy Director of the NAI, and Lucas Mix, Doctoral Candidate at Harvard University. Aim of the primer is to provide a resource for scientists to gain an understanding of the goals and terminology within each sub-discipline in astrobiology (e.g. astronomy, microbiology, astrophysics, geology).

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