Researchers discovered that oxygen can be produced in the deep sea despite darkness. They are now fundamentally questioning previous assumptions.
Frankfurt – Already in school we are taught that oxygen can only be produced through the process of photosynthesis. Plants and bacteria use daylight to convert substances such as water and carbon into biomass. In the process, O2 is released. But the assumption that this is the only way to produce oxygen could now be refuted for the first time. The reason is the discovery of “dark oxygen” in the depths of the Pacific. Most recently, oxygen was also detected for the first time in the atmosphere of Venus.
Research team discovers a new possible source of oxygen in the Pacific
By pure coincidence, an international research team led by Andrew Sweetman, Professor at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, on a possible new source of oxygen in the deep sea. The crew had previously set out to investigate an underwater fracture zone called the “Clarion-Clipperton Zone” between Hawaii and Mexico. At a depth of thousands of meters, where daylight no longer shines, they wanted to measure the oxygen content with sensors, as described on the science portal NatureGeoscience published on Monday (July 22).
The research team discovered that it is not only algae that can produce oxygen underwater, but also “polymetallic nodules” in the seabed. These are metallic “lumps” that are also known as “manganese nodules” due to their high manganese content. They also consist of numerous other metals, such as nickel, copper, cobalt and gallium, as well as rare earth elements. Manganese nodules can only be found at a depth of 3,000 to 6,000 meters and are particularly lucrative for mining companies because they are used to manufacture batteries, among other things. The “Clarion-Clipperton Zone” in the Pacific is considered to be the largest manganese nodule area in the world.
“I didn’t believe the data”: Deep-sea discovery raises fundamental questions
The accidental discovery came after the crew wanted to measure how much oxygen the organisms living on the bottom of the deep sea were using. Instead of measuring consumption, the sensors indicated an increase in the oxygen concentration each time. “I didn’t believe the data because it contradicted everything I had ever learned and read,” says Andrew Sweetman of the Time “I think we therefore need to rethink questions like, ‘Where might aerobic life have begun?'”
Oxygen that is created in the deep sea – without light. Subsequent control experiments in the laboratory showed how this is possible. Even in enclosed water chambers that only contained manganese nodules the size of potatoes, the oxygen concentration is said to have increased. Compared to the BBC Sweetman explained that the nodules probably behave like batteries: “If you put a battery in seawater, it starts to hiss,” said the professor. “This is because the electric current breaks the seawater into oxygen and hydrogen [die Blasen] We believe this is what happens with these tubers in their natural state.”
During a dive into the deep sea at the end of last year, researchers discovered two sensations with the help of a robot. One of them is believed to have formed thousands of years ago.
Manganese nodules as natural batteries: How oxygen can be produced despite total darkness
According to Sweetman, the process is comparable to the process in a flashlight. If you only put in one battery, the flashlight won’t work. Only when the battery comes into contact with a second one can they generate voltage together and light up the flashlight. Manganese nodules behave in the same way – only when they come into contact with another one can the electric current be generated.
If the research team’s assumption is actually confirmed, the production of this “dark oxygen” could be of great importance for life in the deep sea. Researchers are all the more concerned that manganese nodules are exposed to high economic interests. Many mining companies have adapted their technologies so that they can mine the metal lumps at depths of thousands of meters. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns that this seabed mining “could lead to the destruction of life and habitat on the seabed in the mined areas.” More than 800 marine scientists from 44 countries have reported BBC have now signed a petition in which they point out the consequences for the environment and demand a stop to mining. (nz)
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