Settled science gets unsettled by oxygen-making deep-sea rocks
Tom KirkmanIndependent Project Manager
Settled Science gets Unsettled.
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“Scientists recently reported an unexpected deep-sea development in the Pacific: certain metallic rocks seem to be making oxygen in the dark, without light or sunshine, at the bottom of the ocean.
This idea runs counter to the usual belief that oxygen only forms in sunlight through photosynthesis.
Although these findings have stirred debate, the central claim is that potato-sized nodules found thousands of feet below the surface appear to split seawater molecules and release oxygen.
Oxygen and photosynthesis – the basics
Since the late 1700s, we’ve been taught that light creates oxygen through photosynthesis, a crucial natural process that keeps life on Earth thriving.
Plants, algae, and some bacteria soak up sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
In the simplest of terms, nature uses light as fuel to produce the oxygen we breathe and keep everything on Earth alive.
Photosynthesis not only gives energy to these organisms but also releases oxygen into the atmosphere, maintaining the perfect balance of gases that most life forms need.
Until the discovery of dark oxygen, it has been commonly accepted knowledge that without light, photosynthesis would grind to a halt, and our planet wouldn’t have the oxygen-rich air we rely on every day.
Deep-sea rocks making oxygen
Exploration in a region called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone – where deep-sea mining companies are eyeing metals resources like cobalt and nickel – uncovered ferromanganese nodules resting on the ocean floor.
Ferromanganese nodules are like little treasure rocks that settle on the ocean floor, packed with metals such as manganese and iron.
These nodules form slowly over millions of years as minerals from seawater build up in layers around a tiny core, like a shark tooth or a piece of shell.
Think of them as underwater onions, with each layer adding more minerals and creating these cool, rounded shapes.
Researchers suggested that the nodules may produce electric charges that spark electrolysis, generating oxygen and hydrogen. …”