Scientists Probe Mysterious Oxygen Source Possibly Discovered on the Sea Floor (cnn.com) 31
CNN has the latest on "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.
"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... Uncovering dark oxygen revealed just how little is known about the deep ocean, and the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, or CCZ, in particular. The region is being explored for the deep-sea mining of rare metals contained in the rock nodules. The latter are formed over millions of years, and the metals play a key role in new and green technologies...
Understanding the phenomenon better could also help space scientists find life beyond Earth, [Sweetman] added... Officials at NASA are interested in the research on dark oxygen production because it could inform scientific understanding of how life might be sustained on other planets without direct sunlight, Sweetman said. The space agency wants to run experiments to understand the amount of energy required to potentially produce oxygen at higher pressures that occur on Enceladus and Europa, the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, respectively, he added. Those moons are among the targets for investigating the possibility of life.
Deep-sea mining companies are aiming to mine the cobalt, nickel, copper, lithium and manganese contained in the nodules for use in solar panels, electric car batteries and other green technology. Some companies have taken issue with Sweetman's research. Critics say deep-sea mining could irrevocably damage the pristine underwater environment and that it could disrupt the way carbon is stored in the ocean, contributing to the climate crisis.
CNN's article also notes Massachusetts microbiologist Emil Ruff, who found unexpected oxygen far below the Canadian prairie in water isolated from the atmosphere for more than 40,000 years.
"Nature keeps surprising us," he said. "There are so many things that people have said, 'Oh, this is impossible,' and then later it turns out it's not."
"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... Uncovering dark oxygen revealed just how little is known about the deep ocean, and the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, or CCZ, in particular. The region is being explored for the deep-sea mining of rare metals contained in the rock nodules. The latter are formed over millions of years, and the metals play a key role in new and green technologies...
Understanding the phenomenon better could also help space scientists find life beyond Earth, [Sweetman] added... Officials at NASA are interested in the research on dark oxygen production because it could inform scientific understanding of how life might be sustained on other planets without direct sunlight, Sweetman said. The space agency wants to run experiments to understand the amount of energy required to potentially produce oxygen at higher pressures that occur on Enceladus and Europa, the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, respectively, he added. Those moons are among the targets for investigating the possibility of life.
Deep-sea mining companies are aiming to mine the cobalt, nickel, copper, lithium and manganese contained in the nodules for use in solar panels, electric car batteries and other green technology. Some companies have taken issue with Sweetman's research. Critics say deep-sea mining could irrevocably damage the pristine underwater environment and that it could disrupt the way carbon is stored in the ocean, contributing to the climate crisis.
CNN's article also notes Massachusetts microbiologist Emil Ruff, who found unexpected oxygen far below the Canadian prairie in water isolated from the atmosphere for more than 40,000 years.
"Nature keeps surprising us," he said. "There are so many things that people have said, 'Oh, this is impossible,' and then later it turns out it's not."
Re: There you have it. (Score:2)
At least we invented the fuel cells ourselves, without copying a natural process.
Re: (Score:1)
It's the same with fission. Fission was discovered, and weapons and power reactors were created, before humans discovered natural fission occurring anywhere. It was a nuclear fuel refiner that noticed some mined uranium from Africa showing signs of criticality that revealed the existence of a natural reactor on Earth.
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Which is where we ended up the last time we discussed this a few months ago.
Alien spaceship (Score:5, Funny)
"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." â"Sherlock Holmes
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Word of advice. Don't quote Sherlock Holmes. It comes across like saying "Batman is the world's greatest detective" to a real detective.
The divine touch of the creator's noodly appendage (Score:3)
Its a chemical process (Score:2)
You can get H2O to split into oxygen and hydrogen with the right chemical process.
(and some energy source)
Photosynthesis involves splitting CO2 in which the plant absorbs the carbon.
In terms of actually creating Oxygen, could a cosmic ray strike a Nitrogen nucleus (the right isotope) and cause it to emit an electron?
(Not likely to happen in the deep ocean of course)
Re: (Score:2)
You can get H2O to split into oxygen and hydrogen with the right chemical process.
(and some energy source)
Photosynthesis involves splitting CO2 in which the plant absorbs the carbon.
In terms of actually creating Oxygen, could a cosmic ray strike a Nitrogen nucleus (the right isotope) and cause it to emit an electron? (Not likely to happen in the deep ocean of course)
And photosynthesis is also a chemical reaction driven by an energy source. So other than a chemical reaction, what is your idea of "actually creating" oxygen? Assembling it manually from its constituent subatomic particles?
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But that's good for forming parts-per-trillion levels of [sup]14[/sup]C in the atmosphere. Even if buffered by the QFM (quartz-fayalite-magentite) buffer system operating in most of the earth (
What energy source? [Re:Its a chemical process] (Score:2)
You can get H2O to split into oxygen and hydrogen with the right chemical process.
(and some energy source)
It's that "some energy source" that is the question. I think you need to be more explicit in step 2 [sciencecartoonsplus.com]. What energy source?
Splitting water takes a minimum of 1.25 eV. Geothermal heat isn't going to do it. What is the energy source?
Fusion? Fission? Sheesh (Score:1)
Re: news flash! scientists discover electrolysis! (Score:2)
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The English-language graduates writing for CNN, I guess.
Nobody who passed a science degree would have believed that.
As a geologist with a fairly strong background in chemistry, I'm perfectly familiar with electrolysis. I
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such as Mar-a-Lago.
Cymbal crash!
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There are huge deposits of methane clathrates in various places on the ocean floor, and we don't want to disturb them.
The methane clathrates and the manganese nodules are in different areas.
The methane clathrates are mostly in cold, shallow water, especially in the Arctic and eastern Pacific.
The biggest concentration of manganese nodules is in the Clarion-Clipperton zone [wikipedia.org], southeast of Hawaii.
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There are huge deposits of methane clathrates in various places on the ocean floor, and we don't want to disturb them.
The methane clathrates and the manganese nodules are in different areas.
The methane clathrates are mostly in cold, shallow water, especially in the Arctic and eastern Pacific.
The biggest concentration of manganese nodules is in the Clarion-Clipperton zone [wikipedia.org], southeast of Hawaii.
I've seen references to methane clathrate being a polar phenomenon. I guess that the Gulf of Mexico and off southern Florida should be called polar seas now.
Aerotolerant anaerobes (Score:2)
People are grasping at how O2 could be liberated from molecules, and photosynthesis is the only known way. What if the O2 were not liberated? What if it were always there but the other molecules were reduced?. This line of thinking got me to aerotolerant anaerobes [wikipedia.org] as a possible mechanism for creating such deposits.
The list of requirements is: 1. A bunch of these guys trapped down there with your typical N2+O2+trace gas atmosphere typical of Earth, or perhaps some other O2 rich atmosphere that existed e
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photosynthesis is the only known way.
No properly educated person believes that. Only journalists.
Just great ... (Score:2)
Uncovering dark oxygen ...
First Dark Matter and Dark Energy, then Dark Brandon, now *this*. :-)
Polymetalic ores are common (Score:4, Informative)
Thinking we wouldn't find polymetalic ores somewhere in the deep ocean is just silly. This is a classic "Absence-of-Evidence Fallacy" situation that arises all to often in science.
Mining companies (Score:2)
Want to mine a public resource that permanently produces atmospheric oxygen for all humanity and destroy it to enhance the profit margin.
Yet another salient example of short sighted greed.
Re: Mining companies (Score:2)