The ASLO G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award: To the Bottom of Seafloor Ecosystems

Marine sediments represent the largest interface on earth governing partitioning of carbon and nitrogen cycling between the biosphere and geosphere. Moreover, it represents a habitat for a wide diversity of organisms. The link between organism identity/activity and biogeochemical processes is still poorly known. In this award talk, I present some examples how organic geochemical tools, biogeochemical process studies and whole ecosystem isotope labeling studies can be combined to elucidate the flow of carbon and nitrogen through benthic ecosystems (e.g., cold-water corals, sponges and coastal sediments).