Novel and Unexpected Microbial Diversity in Acid Mine Drainage in Svalbard (78° N), Revealed by Culture-Independent Approaches

• Published in: Microorganisms
• Main Authors: Garcia-Moyano, Antonio, Austnes, Andreas Erling, Lanzén, Anders, Gonzalez-Toril, Elena, Aguilera, Ángeles, Øvreås, Lise
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Open Access Publishing 2016
• Subjects: AMD; Arctic; Svalbard; acidophiles; psychrophiles; Gallionella; Saccharibacteria; VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400; Longyearbyen; Rock Pile
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1956/11813; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms3040667

Svalbard, situated in the high Arctic, is an important past and present coal mining area. Dozens of abandoned waste rock piles can be found in the proximity of Longyearbyen. This environment offers a unique opportunity for studying the biological control over the weathering of sulphide rocks at low...