‘Dark oxygen’ is being produced 13,000 feet below ocean surface, ground-breaking study finds
But what makes this discovery so strange is that, in this case, oxygen is not being produced by plants.
Scientists have recently discovered a strange phenomenon, dubbed “dark oxygen” in the deep sea. A ground-breaking study published Monday found that oxygen is being produced in complete darkness nearly 4,000 metres or 13,100 feet below the ocean surface. The discovery has left experts baffled as it defies the general scientific consensus of the production of oxygen via photosynthesis.
What is ‘dark oxygen’ and where is it coming from?
The study published in the journal Nature Geoscience explains that the production of oxygen at such depths is thought to be impossible because there isn't enough sunlight for plants to do photosynthesis. But what makes this discovery so strange is that, in this case, oxygen is not being produced by plants.
“We have another source of oxygen on the planet, other than photosynthesis,” co-author Andrew Sweetman said before adding that this mysterious phenomenon could have implications on scientists' understanding of how life began on Earth.
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Donald Canfield, a biogeochemist at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, said that he found this observation “fascinating.” “But I find it frustrating, because it raises a lot of questions and not very many answers,” Canfield added.
The study explains that oxygen comes out of metallic “nodules” that are similar in resemblance to lumps of coal. They are splitting H2O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
{{/usCountry}}The study explains that oxygen comes out of metallic “nodules” that are similar in resemblance to lumps of coal. They are splitting H2O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
{{/usCountry}}“For aerobic life to begin on the planet, there had to be oxygen and our understanding has been that Earth’s oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms,” Sweetman continued.
{{/usCountry}}“For aerobic life to begin on the planet, there had to be oxygen and our understanding has been that Earth’s oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms,” Sweetman continued.
{{/usCountry}}“But we now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light. I think we therefore need to revisit questions like: where could aerobic life have begun?”
{{/usCountry}}“But we now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light. I think we therefore need to revisit questions like: where could aerobic life have begun?”
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{{/usCountry}}This finding comes as a shock because, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), around half of the Earth's oxygen comes from the ocean.
{{/usCountry}}This finding comes as a shock because, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), around half of the Earth's oxygen comes from the ocean.
{{/usCountry}}Oceanic plankton, Drifting plants, Algae, and some bacteria are the primary elements attributed to the production of oxygen in the ocean. All these organisms are capable of photosynthesis. This means a lack of sunlight would prohibit them from producing oxygen, which is the case in the deep sea.
“Through this discovery, we have generated many unanswered questions and I think we have a lot to think about in terms of how we mine these nodules, which are effectively batteries in a rock,” Sweetman added.
A similar incident was noticed during fieldwork in 2013. At the time, researchers were studying sea-floor ecosystems in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone, an area which is a potential target for the mining of metal-rich nodules.
“I suddenly realized that for eight years I’d been ignoring this potentially amazing new process, 4,000 metres down on the ocean floor,” Sweetman said.
