A unique source of “dark oxygen” is detected by scientists on the sea floor.
What is the most essential thing for living? Undoubtedly, the answer is oxygen! But, how it started forming on the earth? Ancient microbe, cyanobacteria have been credited for generating oxygen for the first time, which helped evolution of complex life billions of years ago. What if this theory goes wrong suddenly with the discovery of something unheard of? Surprised? Let's untangle one by one what's all about this recent discovery of dark oxygen.
We only know a tiny bit about the ocean, which comprises 61% and 81% of the Northern and Southern hemisphere. The Surprising discovery was made in the depths of over 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet in the Pacific ocean.
What is Dark Oxygen? The oxygen generated in the darkness of deep ocean is termed as Dark Oxygen. It's happening due to splitting of water molecules. The most surprising part? The reaction is happening without any involvement of life forms. That's what scientists have discovered recently, which left everyone guessing.
Amazing deep-sea base jumpers
— World and Science (@WorldAndScience) June 24, 2024
Deepwater feather stars, or crinoids, are rarely found in such abundance on the seafloor as seen in this video. On this dive, NOAA scientists came across a dense field of them
(Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research) pic.twitter.com/DHib3Ds7SW
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A Miraculous Finding: At the bottom of pacific ocean, a place without sunlight or organisms capable of photosynthesis, getting those huge source of oxygen is nothing short of miracle. Initially, the scientists felt it was an instrument error. It's not a sudden discovery that came into limelight. However, after multiple experiments over last 10 years, the data showed high amount of oxygen deep down the ocean. Then, the researchers came into the conclusion that “Something is pumping out large amounts of oxygen at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.”
Fascinating yet Frustrating Discovery: Donald Canfield, a biogeochemist at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense said: “The observation is fascinating. But I find it frustrating, because it raises a lot of questions and not very many answers.”
Metallic spheres found in the ocean at depths of 5km that produce "dark oxygen"...https://t.co/7Gb6OMqsbF
— Gideon Reid (@giddierone) July 22, 2024
NOAA video of the Ferromanganese Nodules being collected with a robotic claw from: https://t.co/KL6LYE7AL1 pic.twitter.com/5zNkZ58wZz
(Credit - @giddierone X handle)
New Source of Oxygen: The study co-author Andrew Sweetman, a sea-floor ecologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, UK said: “We have another source of oxygen on the planet, other than photosynthesis.”
So, what is that powerful thing generating energy in the depth of ocean? Scientists anticipate its the activities of “plum-sized formations” named “polymetallic nodules.”
Natural Geobattery: The collected nodule rocks is made up of manganese, cobalt, nickel to provide a polymetallic structure. Due to combination of these metals, the structure is able to produce 0.95-1.50 V energy, which can essentially conduct oxygen production reaction. Northwestern University chemist Franz Geiger said: “It appears that we discovered a natural ‘geobattery’. These geobatteries are the basis for a possible explanation of the ocean's dark oxygen production.”
Meanwhile, the rocks are scattered across ocean’s bottom in vast quantities.
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We all know that, only organisms capable of photosynthesis can produce oxygen in the atmosphere. The recent discovery challenge this long-standing notion. “The discovery of oxygen production by a non-photosynthetic process requires us to rethink how the evolution of complex life on the planet might have originated,” said SAMS marine scientist Nicholas Owens. Apart from that, the findings will impact deep-sea mining process significantly.
“In my opinion, this is one of the most exciting findings in ocean science in recent times,” said research co-author Sweetman. He further added: "I think we, therefore, need to revisit questions like: Where could aerobic life have begun?”