Extending the Quantum Coherence of a Near-Surface Qubit by Coherently Driving the Paramagnetic Surface Environment

Compartmentalisation by bioenergetic membranes is a universal feature of life. The eventual compartmentalisation of prebiotic systems is therefore often argued to comprise a key step during the origin of life. Compartments may have been active participants in prebiotic chemistry, concentrating and spatially organising key reactants. However, most prebiotically plausible compartments are leaky or unstable, limiting their utility. Here, we develop a new hypothesis for an origin of life environment that capitalises upon, and mitigates the limitations of, prebiotic compartments: multi-compartmentalised layers in the near surface environment—a ’scum’. Scum-type environments benefit from many of the same ensemble-based advantages as microbial biofilms. In particular, scum layers mediate diffusion with the wider environments, favouring preservation and sharing of early informational molecules, along with the selective concentration of compatible prebiotic compounds. Biofilms are among the earliest traces imprinted by life in the rock record: we contend that prebiotic equivalents of these environments deserve future experimental investigation.

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Depth is Relative: The Importance of Depth on TEP in the Near Surface Environment

10.5194/os-2019-79 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Tiera-Brandy Robinson ◽

Christian Stolle ◽

Oliver Wurl

Keyword(s):

Vertical Distribution ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Small Scale ◽

Surface Microlayer ◽

Near Surface ◽

Chl A ◽

Sea Surface Microlayer ◽

Carbon Transfer ◽

The Vertical Distribution ◽

Surface Environment

Abstract. Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) are a major source for both organic matter (OM) and carbon transfer in the ocean and into the atmosphere. Consequently, understanding the vertical distribution of TEP and the processes which impact its movement are important in understanding the OM and carbon pools on a larger scale. Additionally, most studies looking at the vertical profile of TEP have focused on large depth scales from 5 to 1000s meters and have omitted the near surface environment. Results from a study of TEP enrichment in the sea surface microlayer (SML) in different regions (tropical, temperate) has shown that while there is a correlation between TEP abundance and primary production (PP) on larger or seasonal scales, such relationships break down on shorter time and spatial scales. Using a novel small-scale vertical sampler, the vertical distribution of TEP within the uppermost 2 meters was investigated. With a maximum variance of TEP abundance between depths (1.39 × 106 µg XG eq2 L-2) and a minimum variance of (6 × 102 µg XG eq2 L-2) the vertical distribution of TEP was found to be both heterogeneous and homogeneous at times. Results from the enrichment of TEP and Chl a between different regions has shown TEP enrichment to be greater in oligotrophic waters, when both Chl a and TEP abundance was low, suggesting the importance of abiotic sources for the enrichment of TEP in the SML. However, considering multiple additional parameters that were sampled, it is clear that no single parameter could be used as a proxy for TEP heterogeneity, other probable biochemical drivers of TEP transport are discussed.

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