Discovery on the seabed - Study: Metall balls in deep sea produce oxygen
On the dark seabed of the deep sea, researchers have discovered evidence of oxygen production through metallic nodules. According to a study in the scientific journal "Nature Geoscience", scientists suspect that this "dark oxygen" is produced through electrolysis of seawater - that is, it is broken down into oxygen and hydrogen. This contradicts the previous assumption that oxygen in the deep sea is only absorbed and not produced. For oxygen production through photosynthesis, sunlight is required.
Researchers, including Germans, measured an electrical potential on the so-called manganese nodules. They could function like batteries, said the study's main author, Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Association for Marine Science, in interviews with the BBC and CNN.
Commercial mining of manganese nodules planned
Sweetman's team researched in the so-called Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii - on the seabed at depths of 4,000 to 6,000 meters. The Canadian company The Metals Company plans to be the first to conduct commercial deep-sea mining there. They plan to file an application for this in Jamaica, where the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is located, later this year. The ISA members are currently discussing how to deal with this.
During deep-sea mining, manganese nodules on the seabed are extracted. They form over millions of years from sediments and contain resources such as manganese, cobalt, copper, and nickel, which could be used in battery production for electric cars, for example. However, numerous experts warn of devastating consequences for the deep sea ecosystem and question the necessity of the energy transition in this context.
"This study provides new evidence that deep-sea mining is a blind gamble," said Greenpeace deep-sea expert Daniela Herrmann. "If industry begins to plunder the manganese nodules in the deep sea, it will take away the air we breathe."
- The discovery of oxygen production in the deep sea, through metallic nodules, challenges the notion that oxygen is solely absorbed in these depths.
- The study, published in "Nature Geoscience", suggests that this 'dark oxygen' is generated through the electrolysis of seawater in London, creating oxygen and hydrogen.
- Researchers, including Germans, detected an electrical potential on manganese nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, near Jamaica, where deep-sea mining is being planned.
- The Canadian company The Metals Company aims to conduct the first commercial deep-sea mining in this area, utilizing the resources found in the tubers for electric car battery production.
- However, ecologists like Daniela Herrmann from Greenpeace express concerns about the devastating impacts of deep-sea mining on ocean ecosystems, particularly its influence on the oxygen seabed levels.
- The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is currently discussing regulatory measures for dealing with this new discovery and its potential implications for deep-sea mining activities.
