Scientists Discover: ‘Dark Oxygen’ Is Produced Deep in the Ocean

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Lerato Khumalo

According to the BBC, it was determined that metal nodules located at depths of 5 kilometers on the ocean floor, where sunlight cannot reach, in areas where photosynthesis is not possible, are splitting seawater into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.

Until now, it was thought that half of the oxygen breathed by living things was created by photosynthesis by marine plants, but the newly discovered “dark oxygen” offered clues about life in the depths of the ocean, where light cannot reach.

These nodules, which were formed over millions of years by metals dissolved in seawater accumulating on pieces of shell or other debris, contain metals such as lithium, cobalt and copper, which are needed for battery production. For this reason, deep-sea mining companies are developing projects to extract them.

NODULES ACT LIKE ‘NATURAL BATTERY’

Lead researcher at the Scottish Marine Science Association, Prof. Dr. Andrew Sweetman, and his team conducted research in a large area covered in metal nodules called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between Hawaii and Mexico.

Sweetman noted that the metallic nodules act like batteries and produce oxygen. “If you put a battery in seawater, it starts to foam. This is because the electric current separates the seawater into oxygen and hydrogen (in the form of bubbles). We think this happens naturally with these nodules. So when the nodules are in contact with each other on the sea floor, they work in harmony like multiple batteries,” he said.

THE SAME PROCESS CAN ALSO HAPPEN ON PLANETS AND MOONS

Using potato-sized metallic nodules, scientists determined that each piece produces electricity close to the voltage produced by a AA battery.

The finding means that the nodules on the seafloor can generate electric currents large enough to tear apart seawater molecules, the researchers said.

The research also revealed that oxygen production that does not require light or biological processes could also occur on planets and their moons, creating oxygen-rich environments in which life could develop.

REMOVAL OF METAL NODULES COULD HARM MARINE LIFE

The Clarion-Clipperton District is of interest to deep-sea mining companies because its metallic nodules contain elements needed to make batteries.

Scientists warn that removing metal nodules from the seabed could disrupt the newly discovered process of oxygen production and harm marine life that depends on oxygen.

The research was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.