A debate has erupted within the scientific community over whether the so-called “dark oxygen” can be made without sunlight, by lumpy metallic formations in the ocean’s darkest depths.
In a research, published in Nature Geoscience last July, scientists had suggested that these nodules, comparable to potatoes in size, could generate electrical currents capable of separating water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, according to news agency AFP.
The study thus challenged the accepted theory that life emerged when organisms began producing oxygen through photosynthesis approximately 2.7 billion years ago.
The polymetallic nodules were found four kilometres beneath the ocean surface, and contain manganese, nickel and cobalt, essential for electric vehicle batteries and green technologies. These were discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a Pacific Ocean region between Mexico and Hawaii attracting mining interest.
Marine ecologist Andrew Sweetman and his team are behind the discovery.
Scottish Association backs ‘incredible’ discovery
The Scottish Association for Marine Science highlighted this research’s significance regarding life’s origins.
“Greenpeace has long campaigned to stop deep sea mining from beginning in the Pacific due to the damage it could do to delicate, deep sea ecosystems,” stated the organisation. This incredible discovery underlines the urgency of that call,” the organization said in a statement.
However, findings disputed by firm which funded the study
The Metals Company, a Canada-based firm which partially funded this research to evaluate mining’s ecological effects, has strongly disputed the findings.
Michael Clarke, environmental manager of The Metals Company, said the results likely stemmed from poor methodology rather than a novel phenomenon.
Academicians challenge the research
As many as five academic papers challenging these findings have been awaiting review and publication since July.
Matthias Haeckel, a biogeochemist from Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre Ocean Research, noted there was insufficient evidence supporting the observations and hypothesis, and called for scientific investigation to verify or refute the theory.
Geochemistry researcher Olivier Rouxel from Ifremer, the French national institute for ocean science and technology, spoke about the lack of consensus, highlighting potential measurement errors.
He questioned how ancient nodules could maintain electrical generation capability over millions of years.
Sweetman, the leader of the discovery team, indicated he was preparing a response.
“These types of back and forth are very common with scientific articles and it moves the subject matter forward,” he stated.
