Jan 18, 2025 11:51 PM
(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2025 11:52 PM by C C.)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/science/d...index.html
INTRO: A startling discovery made public in July that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.
Initial research suggested potato-size nodules rich in metals, predominantly found 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) below the surface in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, released an electrical charge, splitting seawater into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The unprecedented natural phenomenon challenges the idea that oxygen can only be made from sunlight via photosynthesis.
Andrew Sweetman, a professor at the UK’s Scottish Association for Marine Science who was behind the find, is embarking on a three-year project to investigate the production of “dark” oxygen further. Sweetman and his team are using custom-made rigs equipped with sensors that can be deployed to depths of 11,000 meters (36,089 feet). The Nippon Foundation is funding the $2.7 million (2.2 million-pound) research project, which was announced Friday.
Uncovering dark oxygen revealed just how little is known about the deep ocean.. (MORE - details)
INTRO: A startling discovery made public in July that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.
Initial research suggested potato-size nodules rich in metals, predominantly found 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) below the surface in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, released an electrical charge, splitting seawater into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The unprecedented natural phenomenon challenges the idea that oxygen can only be made from sunlight via photosynthesis.
Andrew Sweetman, a professor at the UK’s Scottish Association for Marine Science who was behind the find, is embarking on a three-year project to investigate the production of “dark” oxygen further. Sweetman and his team are using custom-made rigs equipped with sensors that can be deployed to depths of 11,000 meters (36,089 feet). The Nippon Foundation is funding the $2.7 million (2.2 million-pound) research project, which was announced Friday.
Uncovering dark oxygen revealed just how little is known about the deep ocean.. (MORE - details)