Characterization of a ultra-low biomass microbial community in the near-surface ice of the Devon Island ice cap.

The icy moons of the outer solar system are considered some of the most habitable places in our solar system due to the presence of liquid water oceans beneath their icy surfaces. If microbial life exists in these oceans, it could be actively transported into the near-surface ice above, which would be easier to access than the oceans on future robotic missions. We, therefore, set out to characterize the microbial communities of the Devon Island ice cap in the Canadian high Arctic, an analog environment for the icy moons, and determine if the near-surface ice contains an active microbial ecosystem.