Science Quickly The Deep Sea’s Mysterious Oxygen Source
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Aug 27, 2025 Clare Fieseler, a scientist and journalist from Canary Media, dives into the fascinating world of deep-sea rocks that are rich in metals like cobalt and copper. She highlights how these potato-sized nodules not only hold economic potential for clean energy but may also play a vital role in marine life and oxygen production. Clare discusses the delicate balance between mining these resources and preserving ocean ecosystems, as well as the political tensions surrounding deep-sea mining regulations on a global scale. A deep dive into science and ethics!
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What Nodules Are And How They Form
- Polymetallic nodules are potato-sized black rocks strewn across the abyssal plain and contain manganese, cobalt, copper and other critical minerals.
- Scientists can age nodules by their layered rings, which form over millions of years from particles and mineral sorption.
Nodules As Microbial Cities
- Nodules host diverse visible fauna and dense microbial communities, creating complex microhabitats with many niches.
- A recent study found oxygen rising in nodule chambers, suggesting the nodules themselves—or their microbes—might produce oxygen in darkness.
Rocks Possibly Making Oxygen
- Researchers observed oxygen increasing inside experimental chambers containing nodules even after adding a microbial poison.
- The team hypothesizes seawater electrolysis driven by nodules acting like batteries could explain oxygen production in the dark deep sea.