Tag

Dark Oxygen

All articles tagged with #dark oxygen

science1 month ago•13 min saved

Dark Oxygen in the Deep: Pacific Seafloor Nodules Spark Scientific Debate

In 2024 a Nature Geoscience study reported rising oxygen levels inside sealed chambers placed over deep-sea nodules in total darkness, hinting at local oxygen production by the seafloor—potentially via electrolysis. If real, this would challenge the view of the abyss as a strict oxygen sink and have implications for deep-sea ecology and mining. By 2026, however, the finding was contested, with critiques pointing to experimental artefacts and calling for replication and tighter controls before drawing broader conclusions.

via Space Daily|

#abyssal-ocean #dark-oxygen #deep-sea-mining

planet-earth5 months ago•72 min saved

Experts challenge deep-sea 'dark oxygen' claim, call for retracting 2024 study

A 2024 study claimed that deep-sea polymetallic nodules could generate oxygen in total darkness via seawater electrolysis, but a December 2025 opinion article from marine scientists and electrochemists argues the results are flawed and likely artifacts, citing improper chamber ventilation, absence of negative controls, missing hydrogen data, and a thermodynamics violation; the authors defend their work and plan a spring CCZ expedition to test the phenomenon, but many experts say the study should be retracted unless the evidence is revised.

via Live Science|

#dark-oxygen #deep-sea #deep-sea-mining

science5 months ago•6 min saved

Deep-Sea Nodules May Generate Oxygen Without Sunlight

Researchers found oxygen concentrations rising inside sealed patches of seafloor more than 4,000 meters deep in the Pacific, suggesting a form of “dark oxygen” produced by electrolysis within polymetallic nodules rather than photosynthesis, a discovery with implications for ocean chemistry and debates over deep-sea mining.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#clarion-clipperton-zone #dark-oxygen #deep-sea-chemistry

science7 months ago•5 min saved

Deep-Sea Mission Set to Verify Dark Oxygen From Ocean Nodules

Scientists plan two 11-km-deep landers in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone to test whether metallic seabed nodules emit oxygen, a controversial claim dubbed 'dark oxygen.' The study, which could reshape ideas about life's origins, will measure seafloor respiration and rule out buoyant air artefacts while contending with mining industry skepticism; results are expected within days of deployment, with broader analyses following the ship’s June return.

via ScienceAlert|

#clarion-clipperton-zone #dark-oxygen #deep-sea-mining

science7 months ago•11 min saved

UK deep-sea landers to crack the mystery of dark oxygen

Two world‑first deep‑sea landers—Alisa and Kaia—will be deployed in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone to investigate how oxygen forms in complete darkness, testing whether manganese nodules interact with saltwater to produce electricity or if another electrochemical/biochemical process is at work, with an accompanying lander to measure oxygen flux; the three‑year project, backed by UNESCO as a UN Ocean Decade initiative, seeks to uncover the origins of dark oxygen and its implications for life in the deep ocean.

via Interesting Engineering|

#dark-oxygen #deep-ocean #landers

science8 months ago•4 min saved

Scientists Discover 'Dark Oxygen' 4,000 Meters Below Sea Level

Scientists have discovered that polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone produce 'dark oxygen' 4,000 meters below the sea surface, potentially rewriting our understanding of oceanic oxygen sources and the origins of life, while complicating deep-sea mining debates due to ecological concerns.

via Yahoo|

#dark-oxygen #deep-sea-mining #environmental-impact