Personal Background. The study of hydrothermal fluids and their impacts on rock formations underneath the deeper zones of both the oceanic and continental crust have been a special focus of my research interests. My personal background in aqueous geochemistry is strongly focused on the experimental simulations of rock-fluid-gas interactions, at sub-critical and supercritical condition, for both offshore and onshore environments. The experimental approach is for me the foremost alternative to directly duplicating these geological scenarios, and it represents the closest that I can get to actually observing the real environment. With my experimental work I intend to provide reliable geological data to facilities aim to the decarbonization.

Academic Research. I am a SEAS postdoctoral fellow at Centre for Deep-Sea Research, Department of Earth Science, GEO. My research focuses on CO₂ storage in mafic/ultramafic rock. My work will be concentrated on laboratory simulations of basalt-seawater-CO₂ interaction by using a flow-through system, at different T-P conditions. This will permit a better comprehension of the mechanisms regulating the mineral trapping of CO_2, in both onshore and offshore environments.

The SEAS (Shaping European Research Leaders for Marine Sustainability) project, at UiB, has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034309. SEAS project is aimed at training future research leaders for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, seas, and marine resources. We are an interdisciplinary group of postdoctoral fellows at the University of Bergen, Norway who aim to deliver high-quality research with a positive, on the ground impact. Our goals are healthy marine ecosystems and equitable livelihoods.

 

Vitenskapelig artikkel

• Altar, Dale Emet; Kaya, Eylem; Zarrouk, Sadiq J. et al. (2023). Reactive transport modelling under supercritical conditions. (ekstern lenke)

Se en full oversikt over publikasjoner i Cristin

1. (Article). Altar, D.E., Kaya, E., Zarrouk, S.J., Passarella, M. and Mountain, B.W., 2023, Reactive transport modelling under supercritical conditions. Geothermics, 111: 102725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2023.102725;
2. (Article). Altar, D.E., Kaya, E., Zarrouk, S.J., Passarella, M. and Mountain, B.W., 2022, Numerical geochemical modelling of basalt-water interaction under subcritical conditions. Geothermics, 105: 102520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2022.102520;
3. (Ph.D. Thesis). Passarella, M., 2021, Basalt - fluid interactions at subcritical and supercritical conditions: An experimental study, Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.17089220.v1;
4. (Conference Paper). Passarella, M., Mountain, B. and Seward, T., 2017, Basalt-seawater interaction at near-supercritical conditions (400˚C, 500 bar): Hydrothermal alteration in the sub-seafloor. Proceedings 39th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop, 24. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346626040_Basalt-seawater_interaction_at_near-supercritical_conditions_400C_500_bar_Hydrothermal_alteration_in_the_sub-seafloor;
5. (Article). Passarella, M., Mountain, B.W. and Seward, T.M., 2017, Experimental Simulations of Basalt-fluid Interaction at Supercritical Hydrothermal Condition (400˚C – 500bar). Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, 17: 770-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeps.2017.01.022;
6. (Conference Paper). Passarella, M., Mountain, B.W. and Seward, T.M., Year 2016, Basalt-Fluid Interaction at Supercritical Conditions (400˚C, 500 bar): an Experimental Approach. Proceedings 38th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop, 25. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308973015_BASALT-FLUID_INTERACTION_AT_SUPERCRITICAL_CONDITIONS_400C_500_BAR_AN_EXPERIMENTAL_APPROACH;
7. (Conference Paper). Passarella, M., Mountain, B., Zarrouk, S. and Burnell, J., Year, Experimental simulation of re-injection of non-condensable gases into geothermal reservoirs: greywacke-fluid interaction. Proceedings, 37th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283516840_EXPERIMENTAL_SIMULATION_OF_RE-INJECTION_OF_NON-CONDENSABLE_GASES_INTO_GEOTHERMAL_RESERVOIRS_GREYWACKE-FLUID_INTERACTION;
8. (Article). Brothelande, E., Finizola, A., Peltier, A., Delcher, E., Komorowski, J.-C., Di Gangi, F., Borgogno, G., Passarella, M., Trovato, C. and Legendre, Y., 2014, Fluid circulation pattern inside La Soufrière volcano (Guadeloupe) inferred from combined electrical resistivity tomography, self-potential, soil temperature and diffuse degassing measurements. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 288: 105-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.10.007;
9. (Article). Giordano, N., Bima, E., Caviglia, C., Comina, C., Ntandrone, G. and Passarella, M., 2013, Thermal box: analogical and numerical modeling of thermal flow in saturated and unsaturated conditions. GEAM-GEOINGEGNERIA AMBIENTALE E MINERARIA-GEAM-GEOENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT AND MINING: 23-32. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286817378_Thermal_box_Analogical_and_numerical_modeling_of_thermal_flow_in_saturated_and_unsaturated_conditions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286817378_Thermal_box_Analogical_and_numerical_modeling_of_thermal_flow_in_saturated_and_unsaturated_conditions;

Award:

1. Best Paper in New Zealand Current Innovation: “Basalt-Fluid Interaction At Supercritical Conditions (400˚C, 500 bar): An Experimental Approach” at the 38^th New Zealand Geothermal Association Conference, Auckland (2016).

2023 - Oct 2025. Audio-Visual Project  “Meditations on the Deep Sea”.  Public-facing portrayals of the deep sea are few and far between, causing many to feel disconnected or fearful of deep-sea environments. On the rare occasions that these environments are presented, they are invariably saturated with political, environmental, or social narratives laden with strong preconceptions. Only a handful of people have had the privilege of interacting with raw footage of the deep sea.

Meditations on the Deep Sea is an ongoing audio-visual project dedicated to the creation of immersive, intimate experiences, connecting us with this unique environment through the narrative power of music.

Team and roles:PI: Daniel Koestner (Composer, Optical Oceanographer, SEAS fellow IFT)Co-I: Cody Gallo (Producer and Audience Experience Designer, UiB Media & Interaction Design Master’s Student)Co-I: Mauro Passarella (Deep Sea Geology and Film, SEAS Fellow GEO)Collaborators: Aiste Klimasauskaite (Deep Sea Social Science, SEAS Fellow IVT); Claudiu Eduard Nedelciu (Deep Sea Systems Dynamics, SEAS Fellow Geography); Natalya Gallo (Deep Sea Ecology and sustainable ocean management, Postdoc BIO); Paul Dees (Plankton Ecology and Modeling, SEAS Fellow GFI); Shea Cheatham (Ethics and Marine Optics, PhD Student IFT).

Here, we share an unedited 7-minute look into the deep sea from inside a submersible just outside one of Norway’s deepest fjords (Sognefjord). The footage was collected during the OceanX-UiB research cruise in August 2023. The promoter clip includes accompanying music composed by Daniel Koestner, with sounds from the submersible operations (video editing by Mauro Passarella).

Music by Daniel Koestner:https://danielkoestner.bandcamp.comhttps://www.danielkoestner.com