Nanogeoscience for the Earth's Biosphere: How to Bridge Observational and Theoretical Approaches?

Abstract

Life is ubiquitous not only in the near-surface environment, but also in the deep-sea and crustal environments below 120 degrees Celsius, which is known as an upper limit for life. Chemical reactions mediated in the earth's biosphere result in the formation of nanometer-sized solid phases, which are often metastable and controlling global geochemical cycles. Over the past decades, technology has been developed to directly observe nanoparticles and to clarify the possible mechanisms of nanoparticle formation. Theories that describe the formation of nanoparticles will be presented to discuss problems encountered by studying complex biogeochemical systems and to suggest the possible solutions for these problems.