The striking recent putative detection of “dark oxygen” (dark O2) sources on the abyssal ocean floor in the Pacific at ~4 km depth raises the intriguing scenario that complex (i.e., animal-like) life could exist in underwater environments sans oxygenic photosynthesis,” the authors write

What does dark oxygen do?

Dark oxygen production (DOP) refers to the generation of molecular oxygen (O₂) through processes that do not involve light-dependent oxygenic photosynthesis

Who discovered dark oxygen?

Andrew Sweetman, an ecologist with the Scottish Association for Marine Science in the U.K. and a coauthor of the study, told Nature, “We have another source of oxygen on the planet, other than photosynthesis.” His team is calling it ‘dark oxygen’. Oxygen sources are valuable because they allow life to survive

What are the dark oxygen nodules?

These nodules, composed of manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt, may function as “geo-batteries,” promoting oxygen production in the absence of light

What is the new discovery of dark oxygen?

This dark oxygen, instead of being produced by plants and sunlight, is being produced by strange potato-shaped metallic lumps found on the deep sea floor. It turns out that these lumps – otherwise known as ‘polymetallic nodules’ – give off almost as much electricity as AA batteries

What is the mysterious dark oxygen?

At depths exceeding 12,000 feet, where sunlight cannot penetrate, the team found that polymetallic nodules – rock-like formations rich in rare metals – are producing oxygen through a process similar to electrolysis. The findings have been published in Nature Geoscience

What is the dark oxygen and the origin of life?

‘Dark oxygen’ in depths of Pacific Ocean could force rethink about origins of life. In the total darkness of the depths of the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered oxygen being produced not by living organisms but by strange potato-shaped metallic lumps that give off almost as much electricity as AA batteries

Where is dark oxygen found?

Discover the groundbreaking discovery of “dark oxygen” by scientists studying the deep sea. This video explores how oxygen is produced 4000 meters below the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone, challenging the long-held belief that photosynthesis is the sole source of oxygen on Earth.

What is the chemical formula for dark oxygen?

Answer: Dark oxygen is molecular oxygen (O2) found in the depths of oceans, so deep that light cannot penetrate, thereby removing the possibility of being generated by photosynthesis

Is dark oxygen breathable?

The surprising discovery challenges long-held assumptions that only photosynthetic organisms, such as plants and algae, generate Earth’s oxygen. But it now appears oxygen also can be produced at the seafloor — where no light can penetrate — to support the oxygen-breathing (aerobic) sea life living in complete darkness

The discovery also compels us to consider its implications for astrobiology. On Earth, abyssal deep sea plains represent about 70% of the ocean floor, making them the largest ecosystem on Earth. Even with a low biomass density, the region is significant

The fact that we’ve only now discovered dark oxygen on the ocean floor should make us all pause. We’re discovering things about nature that could be critical in the search for life and habitable worlds. If we can confirm that the so-called ocean moons really do have oceans and that dark oxygen is either produced in or transported to those oceans, then we have to adapt our thinking about habitability. Proximity to a star may not be critical, which would simultaneously broaden our understanding while deepening the mystery of life in the cosmos

Dark oxygen nodules are potato-shaped lumps on the ocean floor that produce oxygen through an electrochemical reaction

What they are 

Also known as polymetallic nodules, these lumps are made of iron, manganese hydroxides, and rock. They’re found at depths where there’s no sunlight for photosynthesis

How they produce oxygen 

The nodules may act as natural geobatteries, splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This process is similar to electrolysis

Why they’re important 

Dark oxygen may play an important role in the deep-sea ecosystem

Mining interest 

Mining companies want to mine these nodules for metals like cobalt and manganese to use in batteries and solar cells

What causes ‘dark oxygen’? – One hypothesis is that polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor transport electric charges that split water molecules, releasing oxygen. These nodules, made of iron, manganese hydroxides, and rock, may act like cells of a battery when they are close together

Surprising ‘dark oxygen’ discovery could ensnarl deep-sea mining

Why is the dark oxygen discovery significant?

The dark oxygen discovery is being hailed as a groundbreaking scientific discovery, but it also has other implications.

Nick Owens, the director of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) says: “The fact that we’ve got another source on the planet other than photosynthesis has consequences and implications that are utterly profound.”

Andrew Sweetman, who was one of the SAMS scientists involved in the research, says in a video: “This research potentially sheds light on where life began on the planet. This discovery has shown that, well, maybe there was another source of oxygen a long time ago and aerobic life or life that breathes oxygen could have persisted before the rise of photosynthesis — and if it’s happening on our planet could it be happening on other planets too?

What the dark oxygen discovery means for deep sea mining

The discovery of metallic nodules producing dark oxygen has been a huge surprise to science which could even require a new way of thinking about how life first began on planet Earth.

But it could also be the final straw in the case against deep sea mining. It could stop the industry before they begin.

The discovery was made in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a huge flat area of the seafloor that stretches between Hawaii and Mexico, where mining companies like the Metals Company have plans to start harvesting these very same nodules that turn out to be producing all this dark oxygen.

These oxygen-producing nodules could be supporting a whole range of known and unknown deep sea lifeforms. Dark oxygen could be a critical factor in the deep sea ecosystem!

Greenpeace and others have long said that this new extractive mining industry should not be allowed to start in the very deep ocean because the life there is so little understood, and the ecosystems are fragile and potentially vital for the health of the ocean and all life on Earth.

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