@dw.science Where does oxygen come from? Well, apparently not all of it is produced by plants. Is ‘dark oxygen’ being produced without plants or light, by nodules in some of the deepest parts of the sea? Though it sounds similar to the terms ‘dark matter’ or ‘dark energy’, ‘dark oxygen’ has nothing to do with astrophysics. Instead, it’s a term coined to describe oxygen released deep in the ocean by processes that don’t involve sunlight or photosynthesis. One such proposed avenue of oxygen generation is on the surfaces of concretions found on the seabed called polymetallic – or manganese – nodules. A study carried out in a deep part of the Pacific Ocean called the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) found that the nodules are likely functioning as a kind of natural battery, splitting seawater into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen via the process of electrolysis. There are a lot of open questions – including what energy source is ‘charging’ the ‘battery nodules’ – but if true, the presence of ‘dark oxygen’ could help explain how many species there are able to thrive despite the airless, suffocating lightlessness of the abyssal depths. Author: Derrick Williams/Kirstin Schumann #STEMTok #sciencetok #science #learnontiktok #dwscience #darkoxygen #oxygenproduction #deepsea #deepseamystery #nodules #electrolysis #sciencenews ♬ Originalton - DW Science

Via dw.science.