Dark Oxygen: The Secret of Oxygen Production in the Darkness of the Deep Sea
Asif M Sami
Email: asifsami@gmail.com
Dark oxygen is a recent scientific discovery that challenges our understanding of oxygen production in the deep sea without sunlight. This unexpected phenomenon has stirred the scientific community and is prompting a reevaluation of our understanding of life’s origin on Earth.
The Holy Quran states that Allah can do whatever He wants. Human knowledge is limited, but Allah’s knowledge is infinite.
Oxygen is produced through photosynthesis with sunlight and trees, and Allah maintains the balance of oxygen on Earth. Because humans cannot live for a moment without oxygen. But how beautifully Allah Almighty is fulfilling the oxygen needs of humans.
Trees produce oxygen and humans consume that oxygen. Recent scientific discoveries revealed that oxygen can be produced without sunlight, found 4 km deep in the sea, referred to as “dark oxygen”.
What is dark oxygen?
Dark oxygen is oxygen produced in the deep ocean without sunlight or photosynthesis. Scientists previously thought that photosynthesis, which needs sunlight, was the main source of Earth’s oxygen.
This groundbreaking concept directly confronts that belief. The discovery was made in the Clarion–Clipperton zone of the Pacific Ocean, an area of seabed between Hawaii and Mexico.
Source of dark oxygen
Studies have shown that this oxygen is being produced in Polymetallic Nodules located about 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) below sea level, in complete darkness.
These nodules are potato-shaped rocks that contain important metals such as manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt and zinc.
Scientists propose that these nodules could function as natural “geo-batteries” that split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.
History of the discovery
In 2013, Andrew Sweetman, a deep-sea ecologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, and his team discovered unusually high levels of oxygen in the deep sea. Initially, they believed it was a malfunction in their measuring equipment. However, repeated expeditions showed the same results, confirming it as a genuine phenomenon.
Between 2021 and 2022, a series of benthic chamber lander experiments were carried out in the NORI-D license area, where oxygen levels were surprisingly high. Researchers collected samples of nodules, seawater, and sediment, and found that oxygen production persisted even after all microbes were killed with mercuric chloride.
Proposed process
The research team found an electrical potential of up to 0.95 volts on the nodule surface, enough to potentially split seawater through electrolysis. 1.23 volts is needed to split seawater under normal conditions, but using a metal catalyst can lower this requirement to a few hundred millivolts.
This process is called the “geo-battery” hypothesis, where energy is generated from the potential difference between metal layers in nodules due to the internal movement of electrons. Researchers think the nodules’ large surface area and rich dendritic layers of nickel and copper may speed up this process.
How does this process work? |(Mechanism)
The basis for this oxygen production is Electrochemical Water Splitting:
H₂O → H₂ + ½ O₂
The flow of electricity through seawater, behaving as natural electrodes. The flow of electricity through seawater, which causes an anode-cathode reaction, produces oxygen completely without light.
Scientific controversy
The discovery has sparked heated debate in the scientific community. Some scientists have expressed skepticism about the results and cited the possibility of methodological errors. Olivier Rouxel, a geochemist at Firmer in France, has suggested that the measured oxygen could actually be trapped air bubbles.
Matthias Haeckel, a biogeochemist at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany, stated that he has not provided clear evidence for his observations and hypotheses. As of July 2024, five academic papers have been submitted that refute Sweetman’s research results.
Why this is revolutionary
Biogenesis implies that ancient Earth or other planets could provide the building blocks of life, such as oxygen, along with light.
Exobiology: Scientists believe that life could exist in a similar way on Europa (Jupiter’s moon) or Enceladus (Saturn’s moon). Deep Ocean Ecosystem: Those who thought that oxygen did not exist at a depth of 4 km in the ocean were proven wrong.
Environmental significance
The discovery highlights the limitations of our knowledge of deep-sea ecosystems. Environmentalists claim that dark oxygen in deep-sea life highlights our limited understanding and reinforces concerns about the environmental risks of deep-sea drilling.
Greenpeace has long opposed deep-sea drilling in the Pacific Ocean due to its potential harm to fragile ecosystems. This incredible discovery reinforces the urgency of that call.”
| Dark Oxygen Oxygen Generation in the Absence of Sunlight: Deep-Sea Research Insights | |
Methods of Access
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The importance of this discovery.
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Polymetallic nodules act as emitters in sunlight.Implications for the origin of life
The discovery challenges our understanding of the origin of life on Earth. Oxygen production on Earth through photosynthesis started around 2.7 billion years ago, enabling the development of multicellular life. But this discovery suggests that ocean water naturally splits, forcing us to rethink our theory of the origin of life.
Oxygen is essential for aerobic life, and it is believed that Earth’s oxygen supply started with photosynthetic organisms. But we now know that oxygen is being produced in the deep ocean, where there is no light. I think we need to rethink questions like: Where could aerobic life have started?”
Future research
Many questions remain unanswered about this discovery. Scientists plan to research the mechanism, sustainability, and role of this process in deep-sea ecosystems. In particular, there are concerns about how deep-sea mining activities could affect this process.
The Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) warns that deep-sea mining could jeopardize “dark oxygen production”, which benefits marine ecosystems. Careful mining is necessary to protect deep-sea organisms and the ocean’s fragile ecosystem.
Conclusion
The discovery of dark oxygen could be marked as a watershed moment in the world of science. It could impact oceanography and our knowledge of life’s origins, Earth’s early environment, and the potential for life on other planets. This discovery is still in its early stages, and more research is needed to understand how it works and its overall impact.
Andrew Sweetman emphasizes the need for more scientific research on this process and its significance. I hope this is the start of something amazing.”
(Translated and edited by Rahman Mahfuz)
