An international team of researchers from Scotland, the US and other countries has discovered that metallic minerals on the ocean floor can produce oxygen. The discovery challenges the idea that only photosynthetic organisms (algae and phytoplankton) provide oxygen to Earth’s hydrosphere. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Geology (NatGeo).
The gas released from deep rocks was given the name “dark oxygen” because it appears at a depth of about four kilometers without the participation of sunlight.
According to experts, oxygen is produced by polymetallic nodules, which are natural mineral deposits on the seabed. They contain cobalt, nickel, copper, lithium, manganese and other valuable elements.
Scientists made the discovery accidentally while examining the seabed in the Clarion-Clipperton region, an underwater mountain range in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. When sensors detected the presence of oxygen, the team initially assumed the equipment was faulty. However, subsequent inspections confirmed the gas content.
Further research discovered that oxygen is produced by an electrochemical reaction that occurs when rust comes into contact with salt water. A voltage of 1.5 volts is sufficient to split seawater. Individual nodules can reach voltages of up to 0.95 volts. By combining into clusters, they produce a current strong enough to split the surrounding liquid into oxygen and hydrogen.
Scientists noted that the natural mechanism discovered could be critical for oxygenating the deep ocean.
Previous researchers warned about the sharp depletion of oxygen reserves in water around the world.
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Source: Gazeta
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