A recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has revealed a surprising phenomenon: the production of oxygen in complete darkness at the bottom of the ocean (abyssal zone). This discovery, made in the Clarion-Clipperton zone of the Pacific, challenges traditional conceptions of marine biogeochemical cycles.
The research was conducted in the ocean abyss, where benthic chambers were placed to analyze chemical interactions on the seafloor. These devices, designed to study extreme environments, detected increases in oxygen in conditions where sunlight does not penetrate.
Dark oxygen in the abyssal zone: How is it possible?
During the experiments, the scientists observed a significant increase of oxygenexceeding background concentrations by up to three times, suggesting active oxygen production. The researchers propose that this phenomenon, called dark oxygen production (DOP), could be the result of the electrolysis of seawater. electrolysis of seawaterfacilitated by electric potentials in the polymetallic nodules.
This finding opens up new lines of research in marine biogeochemistry and also has profound implications for understanding how abyssal organisms can sustain themselves in environments lacking direct sunlight.
The publication states that this study transforms our understanding of deep ecosystems and the processes that support life in extreme conditions.
Likewise, the research team plans to continue exploring the conditions under which PDO occurs and its impact on the planet’s deepest and least understood ecosystems. planet.
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Source: Nature Geoscience
Photo: shutterstock
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