The main work of the Pavilion Lake Research Project involves the exploration of Kelly Lake with piloted submersible vehicles. But team members are also performing scientific experiments using methods that are a bit more ‘low-tech.’ In this field report, scientists test how microbes living in microbialite structures respond when they are moved to new locations in Pavilion lake.

During the 2011 PLRP field season, Astrobiology Magazine will be providing an Ask a Scientist feature. Readers can pose questions directly to the scientists in the field while they explore the depths of Kelly Lake.

The Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) is funded by the CSACARN program and NASAMMAMA program. Additional funding provided by NASAESMD Analogs, NASAASTEP and Nuytco Research. Previous support for the program has also been received from the NASA Spaceward Bound Program, the National Geographic Society, and McMaster University.