Science, Biology - HMP 2000Biology reports:
Impact Crater Biology
To characterize the biology of Haughton Crater and understand the patterns of impact succession and recolonization at impact sites; to further studies of the paleobiology of Haughton Crater; to explore astrobiological implications for Mars and elsewhere.
Tasks on HMP-2000: The survey of the biology of Haughton Crater and surroundings will be continued, on foot, by ATV, by inflatable boat, using a robotic imaging hopper, and by helicopter, with particular attention placed on contrasts between the interior and exterior of the crater; the inventory of life in Haughton's modern lakes and at the Lowell Oasis, a polar oasis associated with the Haughton Formation paleolakebeds, will be continued; rocks from recognized paleohydrothermal sites at Haughton will be sampled to search for potential biomarkers of impact-induced themal biology. Study of the physiology of micro-organisms associated with various impact features such as shocked rocks.
To explore in more detail the nature, ecology and signatures of microbial communities living in the lakes and ponds at Haughton, both at present and in the past, to understand adaptations to the relatively extreme (cold, high UV, nutrient-poor) environment of the high Arctic; to examine the diatom record in the sediments of lakes at Haughton, to derive information about the evolution of the local climate through time.
Tasks on HMP-2000: The systematic survey of larger lakes at Haughton will be continued to characterize the microbiology of their water column and the local UV environment; core samples from the lake sediments will be retrieved for diatom surveys; some samples will be examined in-situ (at Base Camp).
To explore in more detail the nature, ecology and signatures of lithic microbial communities, both past and present, in the relatively extreme environment of an impact crater in the polar desert of the high Arctic; to further characterize the specificities of impact-induced lithic microbial communities; to explore astrobiological implications for Mars and elsewhere, and the possibility of natural interplanetary transfer of microorganisms.
Tasks on HMP-2000: A variety of locations inside and outside Haughton Crater will be visited, on foot, by ATV, by inflatable boat, and by helicopter, to sample systematically suites of rocks covering a range of shock metamorphism to characterize any lithic microbiology present; some rock samples will be examined in-situ (at Base Camp); specific microorganisms, e.g. Deinococcus radiodurans, will be sought.