Dorothy Z. Oehler
Biosignatures of Early Life; Mars Geology and Habitability, Martian and Lunar Resource Assessment
ESCG/ LZ Technology
dorothy.z.oehler@nasa.gov
281-483-4259
Dr. Dorothy Z. Oehler is a planetary geologist and Precambrian paleontologist at Johnson Space Center (JSC). She is mainly interested in seeking ways to identify biosignatures of potential extraterrestrial life. This includes two lines of research: 1) establishing new criteria for identifying bona fide biosignatures of fragmentary remains of primitive life forms, and 2) using facies prediction on Mars to prioritize habitable sites that may preserve remnants of potential life on Early Mars. For biosignature criteria, Dr. Oehler has been among the first to utilize NanoSIMS for chemical mapping of some of Earth's earliest life forms. For Mars habitability, she has been using a geologic approach involving establishing regional context and predicting facies, using ArcGIS and spatial analysis of orbital datasets.
Ph.D, University of California at Los Angeles 1973
B.S., University of California at Los Angeles 1967
- Astrobiology
Oehler, D. Z., Allen, C. C. (in press) Focusing the Search for Biosignatures on Mars: Facies Prediction with an example from Acidalia Planitia. SEPM Special Volume on Mars Sedimentology, (eds. John Grotzinger and Ralph Milliken).
Oehler, D. Z., Allen, C. C. (2010) Evidence for pervasive mud volcanism in Acidalia Planitia, Mars. Icarus 208 (2), 636-657.
Oehler, D. Z., Robert, F. Walter, M.R., Sugitani, K., Meibom, A., Mostefaoui, S., Gibson, E. (2010) Diversity in the Archaean Biosphere: New Insights from NanoSIMS. Astrobiology 10, 413-424.
Oehler, D. Z., Robert, F., Walter, M.R., Sugitani, K., Allwood, A., Meibom, A., Mostefaoui, S., Selo, M. R., Thomen, A., Gibson, E. K. (2009) NANOSIMS: Insights to Biogenicity and Syngeneity of Archaean Carbonaceous Structures. Precambrian Research 173, 70-78.
Oehler, D. Z., Robert, F., Mostefaoui, S., Meibom, A., Selo, M., McKay, D. S., Gibson, E.K. (2008) NanoSIMS Open a New Window for Deciphering Remnants of Ancient Organic Matter in Terrestrial & Extraterrestrial Samples, in From Fossils to Astrobiology: Records of Life on Earth and the Search for Extraterrestrial Biosignatures Series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology , Vol. 12, Seckbach, Joseph; Walsh, Maud (Eds.), Springer, p. 3-23.
Etiope, G., Oehler, D.Z., Allen, C.C. (2011) Methane emissions from Earth's degassing: Implications for Mars. Planetary and Space Science 59, 182-195.
Allen, C. C., Oehler, D. Z. (2008) A case for ancient springs in Arabia Terra, Mars. Astrobiology 8(6), 1093-1112.
Oehler, D. Z., Robert, F., Mostefaoui, S., Meibom, A., Selo, M., McKay, D .S. (2006) Chemical mapping of Proterozoic organic matter at sub-micron spatial resolution. Astrobiology 6, 838-850.
Allen, M., Sherwood Lollar, B., Runnegar, B., Oehler, D.Z., Lyons, J. R., Manning, C. E., Summers, M.E. (2006) Is Mars Alive? Eos 87 (41), 433-448.