Camille Thomas
PROJECTS
Nam Co
DIGESTED : Deep biosphere-geosphere interactions at the top of the world
This is an SNF-SINERGIA project jointly held by the Universities of Bern, Lausanne, Greifswald and EAWAG. Encompassed within the ICDP drilling project NamCore, we here provide an interdisciplinary approach to interpret a Myr climate record from Lake Nam Co (Tibetan Plateau), by joining sedimentology, geochemistry, microbiology, mineralogy and geobiochemistry techniques. Find more details about the project on the dedicated website
Dead Sea
OASIS: Origin and significance of stromatolites in the Dead Sea (2020-2023)
There is a number of sedimentary features resembling stromatolites in the Dead Sea Basin. They have been used as paleoshoreline markers, but their modes of formation are actually unknown. To tackle this issue, we investigate modern microbial mats forming near freshwater springs and sinkholes fields by the Dead Sea current shoreline, to understand how microbial activity can shape its environment and form microbialite structures in this dynamic extreme environment. We are looking for a master student to complete our metagenomic investigation.
Dead Sea
Extreme life in hypersaline sediments
(2010-2020)
We study poorly known microorganisms developing in the vicinity of the Dead Sea (microbial mats, microbialites at its shores) and in its subsurface (thanks to the ICDP Dead Sea Deep Drilling Project) and the impact they have on the lake and sediment biogeochemistry. Microbes are able to lead to the dissolution and precipitation of minerals such as calcium carbonates or iron-sulfides, and therefore influence the sedimentological record of this extreme environment. We investigate particularly the impat of this biosphere in relationship with proxies used to reconstruct paleoenvironments and paleoclimates.
Lake Onego
Methane cycling and microbial diversity under seasonal ice (2015-2020)
The "life under the ice" project is a multidisciplinary initiative involving Swiss, French and Russian universities. It aims at understanding the effects of seasonal ice on lakes behaviour. In this project, we investigate how microbial communities in the water column and sediments respond to ice-covered periods.
Aedipsos
Microbial influence on iron-rich travertine formation (2016-2019)
The Greek island of Evia hosts hydrothermal springs enriched in iron. Travertines form very rapidly in this active environment, and provide unique settings to investigate the impact of microbial communities on iron-rich travertine facies.