Jill Mikucki

Jill Ann Mikucki is an American microbiologist, educator and Antarctic researcher, best known for her work at Blood Falls demonstrating that microbes can grow below ice in the absence of sunlight.[1][2] She is a leader of international teams studying study ecosystems under the ice.[3]

Jill Mikucki
Mikucki in the Antarctic
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBA University of North Carolina
MS Portland State University
PhD Montana State University
Scientific career
FieldsPolar microbiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Tennessee
WebsiteJill Mikucki at the University of Tennessee

Early life and education

Mikucki earned her B.A. in 1996 at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, her M.S. in 2001 from Portland State University, and her Ph.D in 2005 at Montana State University.[4] A life-long love of cold and snow helped lead her to a career in Antarctic research.[5] Mikucki conducted her Ph.D research on Blood Falls, a plume of iron-oxide rich water that flows from beneath the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Mikucki's work on Blood Falls was the first to describe the microbiology and geochemistry of the feature.[6][7]

Career and impact
Schematic of drilling to find the brine
Mikucki with brine sample

As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University (2006–07) and Dartmouth College (2008), and a professor at the University of Tennessee,[4] Mikucki continued her work at Blood Falls. Mikucki's work demonstrated that microbes can grow below ice in the absence of sunlight by using sulfate and iron to help them metabolize organic matter.[1][2]

Her continuing work at Blood Falls[8][9] led to the discovery of a network of salty groundwater beneath Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys, which is likely the source of the Blood Falls outflow, and a habitat for subsurface microorganisms. The work was also the first ever use of airborne resistivity in Antarctica.[10]

Mikucki was part of the first team to drill into and sample an Antarctic subglacial lake, which demonstrated the existence of life deep beneath Antarctic ice for the first time.[11]

Selected works
  • Christner, B.C.; Priscu, J.C.; Achberger, A.M.; Barbante, C.; Carter, S.P.; Christianson, K.; Michaud, A.B.; Mikucki, J.A.; Mitchell, A.C.; Skidmore, M.L.; Vick-Majors, T.J. (2014). "A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet". Nature. 512 (7514): 310–313. Bibcode:2014Natur.512..310.. doi:10.1038/nature13667. PMID 25143114.
  • Mikucki, J.A.; Priscu, J.C. (2007). "Bacterial diversity associated with Blood Falls, a subglacial outflow from the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73 (12): 4029–4039. doi:10.1128/aem.01396-06. PMC 1932727. PMID 17468282.
  • Mikucki, J.A.; Liu, Y.; Delwiche, M.; Colwell, F.S.; Boone, D.R. (2003). "Isolation of a methanogen from deep marine sediments that contain methane hydrates, and description of Methanoculleus submarinus sp. nov" (PDF). Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 69 (6): 3311–3316. doi:10.1128/aem.69.6.3311-3316.2003. PMC 161549. PMID 12788731.
  • Mikucki, J.A.; Pearson, A.; Johnston, D.T.; Turchyn, A.V.; Farquhar, J.; Schrag, D.P.; Anbar, A.D.; Priscu, J.C.; Lee, P.A. (2009). "A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous" Ocean"". Science. 324 (5925): 397–400. Bibcode:2009Sci...324..397M. doi:10.1126/science.1167350. PMID 19372431.
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References
  1. Tierney, John (April 19, 2009). "The Dark Secret at Blood Falls". TierneyLab (blog). The New York Times.
  2. Mikucki, Jill A.; Pearson, Ann; Johnston, David T.; Turchyn, Alexandra V.; Farquhar, James; Schrag, Daniel P.; Anbar, Ariel D.; Priscu, John C.; Lee, Peter A. (April 17, 2009). "A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean"". Science. 324 (5925): 397–400. Bibcode:2009Sci...324..397M. doi:10.1126/science.1167350. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 19372431.
  3. Bell, Robin (February 24, 2016). "Changes on the ice". Nature. 530 (7591): 507. doi:10.1038/nj7591-507a.
  4. "Dr. Jill Mikucki". Department of Microbiology, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Tennessee. Click on "Education" tab. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  5. Mikucki, Jill (December 25, 2010). "In Antarctica, the Thrill of Research Outweighs the Isolation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  6. "Blood Falls, Antarctica". MicrobeWiki. Kenyon College. August 26, 2010.
  7. Mazza, Ed (29 April 2015). "Antarctica's Mysterious 'Blood Falls' Explained in New Study". Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  8. Byrd, Deborah. "Origin of Antarctica's eerie Blood Falls". Earth & Sky. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  9. Gramling, Carolyn (April 28, 2015). "Salty Water Lurks Beneath Antarctica". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aab2560. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  10. "First-ever Use of Airborne Resistivity System in Antarctica Allows Researchers to Look Beneath Surface in Untapped Territories" (Press release). National Science Foundation. March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  11. Schilling, Govert (January 27, 2013). "Pay Dirt! Antarctic Drilling Reaches Lake Surface". LiveScience. Retrieved July 29, 2016.

See also
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