#Oxygen discovery defies knowledge of the deep ocean
Victoria Gill, Science correspondent, BBC
July 22, 2024
"Scientists have discovered ' #DarkOxygen' being produced in the #DeepOcean, apparently by lumps of metal on the #seafloor.
"About half the oxygen we breathe comes from the #ocean. But, before this discovery, it was understood that it was made by marine plants photosynthesising - something that requires sunlight.
"Here, at depths of 5km, where no sunlight can penetrate, the oxygen appears to be produced by naturally occurring metallic ' #nodules' which split seawater - H2O - into hydrogen and oxygen.
"Several #mining companies have plans to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt the newly discovered process - and damage any marine life that depends on the oxygen they make.
"'I first saw this in 2013 - an enormous amount of oxygen being produced at the seafloor in complete darkness,' explains lead researcher Prof Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Association for Marine Science. 'I just ignored it, because I’d been taught - you only get oxygen through #photosynthesis.
"'Eventually, I realised that for years I’d been ignoring this potentially huge discovery,' he told BBC News.
"He and his colleagues carried out their research in an area of the deep sea between #Hawaii and #Mexico - part of a vast swathe of seafloor that is covered with these metal nodules. The nodules form when dissolved metals in seawater collect on fragments of shell - or other debris. It's a process that takes millions of years.
"And because these nodules contain metals like #lithium, #cobalt and #copper - all of which are needed to make batteries - many mining companies are developing technology to collect them and bring them to the surface.
"But Prof Sweetman says the dark oxygen they make could also support life on the seafloor [and life on Earth!]. And his discovery, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, raises new concerns about the risks of proposed deep-sea mining ventures.
"The scientists worked out that the metal nodules are able to make oxygen precisely because they act like batteries."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c728ven2v9eo
#OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #NoDeepSeaMining #DeepSeaMining #DeepSeaMiningMoratorium #Greed #DeepGreen #Oxygen #GerardBarron #DeepSeaLife #Extinction #DeadPlanet
🌎💓 For over 60 years, seismologists have been tracking a mysterious rhythmic pulse that ripples through the #Earth's crust every 26 seconds.
Researchers have traced the sound to a specific spot off the coast of #Africa, but they still do not know if it is caused by crashing #ocean #waves or a hidden #underwater #volcano.
#geology #science #STEM #earthquake #oceanography #volcanology #Nature #Curiosity
Arc-eye Hawkfish at an #Oahu #Hawaii #reef . Your #sealife #photooftheday
Prints available - DM me. #fish #coral #Friday #creature #ocean #pacificocean #marinelife #animals #nature #wildlife #outdoors #explore #environment #earth #photo #photography #scuba #discover #underwater #art #critter #KeepItReal
Arc-eye Hawkfish at an #Oahu #Hawaii #reef . Your #sealife #photooftheday
Prints available - DM me. #fish #coral #Friday #creature #ocean #pacificocean #marinelife #animals #nature #wildlife #outdoors #explore #environment #earth #photo #photography #scuba #discover #underwater #art #critter #KeepItReal
🌎💓 For over 60 years, seismologists have been tracking a mysterious rhythmic pulse that ripples through the #Earth's crust every 26 seconds.
Researchers have traced the sound to a specific spot off the coast of #Africa, but they still do not know if it is caused by crashing #ocean #waves or a hidden #underwater #volcano.
#geology #science #STEM #earthquake #oceanography #volcanology #Nature #Curiosity
📢 We are hiring ! #fediHire
My group is looking for 2️⃣ #research scientists in the field of #satellite 🛰️ remote sensing and data processing, to work in #Norway
One position (Tromsø or Oslo) will mostly be about #climate #SeaIce remote sensing from passive microwave sensors:
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/294200/researcher
The other position (Bergen or Oslo) is mostly about #Ocean remote sensing from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) missions:
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/294199/researcher-scientific-programmer
Both are 2-year positions, in the context of several projects we have with the #EuropeanSpaceAgency.
Please help and boost 🙌 .
We've had some pretty nice waves on our beaches here in Half Moon Bay recently, with more forecast for later this week.
Redwood National and State Parks this morning. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm and #nps #nationalparks #publiclands #photography #forest #trees #sun #winter Image credit Kurt Angersbach / Westernlabs #california #redwood #colors #landscapephotography #driftwood #coast #ocean #research #beach #waves
Redwood National and State Parks this morning. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm and #nps #nationalparks #publiclands #photography #forest #trees #sun #winter Image credit Kurt Angersbach / Westernlabs #california #redwood #colors #landscapephotography #driftwood #coast #ocean #research #beach #waves
We've had some pretty nice waves on our beaches here in Half Moon Bay recently, with more forecast for later this week.
Nudibranch Hypselodoris Bullockii
#gili #giliislands #lombok #diving #scuba #trawangan #diveandstay #giliair #pets #ocean #sealife #marinelife #padi #seaslug #nudibranch
Nudibranch Hypselodoris Bullockii
#gili #giliislands #lombok #diving #scuba #trawangan #diveandstay #giliair #pets #ocean #sealife #marinelife #padi #seaslug #nudibranch
Yesterday, I went to photograph nearly full Moon. At first, it looked like the distant clouds would prevent it from showing but they turned out to be high, loose, and transparent. I really loved how the seagulls helped me with the framing too.
#seascape #sea #ocean #moon #fullmoon #sunset #landscape #landscapePhotography #nature #photo #photomonday #FotoMontag #fotografie
Yesterday, I went to photograph nearly full Moon. At first, it looked like the distant clouds would prevent it from showing but they turned out to be high, loose, and transparent. I really loved how the seagulls helped me with the framing too.
#seascape #sea #ocean #moon #fullmoon #sunset #landscape #landscapePhotography #nature #photo #photomonday #FotoMontag #fotografie
The ocean remembers light.
Bioluminescent dinoflagellates — single-celled organisms that have been doing this for millions of years — painting the shoreline electric blue with every wave. Each crash triggers billions of tiny chemical reactions, a galaxy washing ashore.
#AIVideo #Bioluminescence #Ocean #Nature