Can Intact Polar Lipids from Shallow Marine Sediments Be Used to Help De-Risk Petroleum Exploration?

Introduction Hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria and archaea proliferate at and around points of active hydrocarbon seepage on the ocean seafloor. This microbiome is detectable by the extraction and analysis of their intact polar lipids (IPLs). IPLs are the principle building blocks of cellular membranes and their detection in the environment provides a non-DNA-based technique for evaluating the chemotaxonomic diversity and extent of the biosphere (Sturt et al., 2004; Lipp and Hinrichs, 2009). It may therefore be possible to use lipidomic-based, large scale piston coring surveys as a cost effective approach for detecting recent petroleum seepage in deep water, offshore environments.