What is Dark Oxygen?

About Dark Oxygen:

• Oxygen that is being produced in complete darkness thousands of feet below the ocean surface is termed dark oxygen.
• Why is the discovery important?
  • Until now, it was thought that oxygen was created only through photosynthesis, a process that requires sunlight. 
  • Oceanic plankton, drifting plants, algae, and some bacteria are the primary elements attributed to the production of oxygen in the ocean. All these organisms are capable of photosynthesis. 
  • The production of oxygen at such depths is thought to be impossiblebecause there isn't enough sunlight for plants to dophotosynthesis.
  • However, in this case, oxygen is not being produced by plants.
  • The oxygen comes out of Polymetallic nodules that are similar in resemblance to lumps of coal.
  • These nodules, made up of metals like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium, can generate oxygen through electrochemical activity even in the absence of light.
  • They are splitting H2O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

Key Facts about Polymetallic Nodules:

• Polymetallic nodules, also known as manganese nodules, are small, rounded accretions found on the seabed of the deep ocean floor.
• These nodules are composed of a mixture of metals and minerals, including manganese, iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, and traces of other valuable elements such as platinum, rare earth elements, and lithium. 
• Polymetallic nodules form through a slow and gradual process over millions of years.
• They develop as concentric layers around a central nucleus, which can be a shell fragment, a shark tooth, or a piece of basaltic rock.
• The layers are primarily composed of manganese and iron oxides, with other metals being deposited along with them.
• These metals are really important for the production of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicle batteries, mobile phones, wind turbines, solar panels, etc.
• They are mainly found in the north-central Pacific Ocean, the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and the northern Indian Ocean.
• It is said that there may be enough polymetallic nodules in an area of the Pacific Ocean called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone to meet global energy demands for decades after.

Q1: What is photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar. Most life on Earth depends on photosynthesis.The process is carried out by plants, algae, and some types of bacteria, which capture energy from sunlight to produce oxygen (O2) and chemical energy stored in glucose (a sugar). Herbivores then obtain this energy by eating plants, and carnivores obtain it by eating herbivores.

Source: ‘Dark oxygen’ is being produced 13,000 feet below ocean surface, ground-breaking study finds