'Enormous amount' of 'dark oxygen' made by sea 'batteries' found in revolutionary discovery

Scientists in a research expeditions have made a groundbreaking discovery: oxygen is being generated deep beneath the ocean's surface, revolutionizing our understanding of deep- sea life .

Researchers have identified unusual "nodules" on the ocean floor, roughly 13,000 feet deep, which produce oxygen even in complete darkness. This finding, detailed in a recent Nature Geoscience paper, challenges conventional wisdom that oxygen in the ocean is solely produced by sunlight-driven photosynthesis by plants and algae.

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The research team, led by Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Association for Marine Science, initially thought their sensors were malfunctioning due to unexpected oxygen readings in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone. "We recalibrated the sensors repeatedly over ten years, but the anomalous data persisted," Sweetman explained. To confirm their findings, the team used a different method, which yielded the same results, indicating a significant and unanticipated discovery.

The researchers were originally studying the effects of deep-sea mining, which involves extracting valuable metals like nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, and rare earth elements from the ocean floor. These metals are crucial for manufacturing items such as lithium-ion batteries. "The polymetallic nodules that produce this oxygen contain metals vital for industrial applications," noted co-author Franz Geiger, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University.

The team found that these nodules generate oxygen through a process similar to electrolysis, where they act like batteries due to their high electric charge. Some nodules had up to 0.95 volts on their surfaces, suggesting that clusters of nodules could produce even higher voltages. "It seems we have found a natural 'geobattery,'" Geiger said, offering a potential explanation for this deep-sea oxygen production.

This discovery has profound implications for our understanding of life's origins on Earth. Traditionally, it was believed that oxygen production began with photosynthetic organisms. "We now see that oxygen can be produced in the dark depths of the ocean, which means we need to reconsider where aerobic life could have started," Sweetman stated.

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Nicholas Owens, director of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, highlighted the significance of this finding. "This discovery forces us to rethink the evolution of complex life on Earth," he said, noting that it challenges the long-held belief that cyanobacteria were the sole initial source of oxygen.

The researchers also warned of the potential ecological impact of deep-sea mining on these oxygen-producing nodules. "We must rethink mining strategies to avoid depleting deep-sea oxygen sources," Geiger cautioned. Past studies have shown that marine life struggles to recover in mined areas, with even bacteria failing to repopulate decades later. In contrast, unmined areas thrive with diverse marine life, suggesting that disrupting these ecosystems could have severe and lasting consequences.

This discovery emphasizes the need for careful consideration of deep-sea mining practices to protect these crucial and newly understood oxygen sources.