Recent research has exposed the fact that dark oxygen freely comes from deposits of minerals present at a depth of approximately 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) of the CCZ, the Pacific Ocean. This discovery was made by Andrew Sweetman a professor at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and his team from the seafloor ecology and biogeochemistry research group.
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What is Dark Oxygen?
Dark oxygen can be present down deep in the ocean. This recent study that was done and published in Nature Geoscience shows that oxygen gas is emanating from mineral resource deposits of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific which is at a depth of 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet. To put this into perspective, this depth is nearly half the height of Mount Everest at 29,032 feet.
Classically, it has been postulated that photosynthetic organisms such as plants and algae are the major producers of oxygen on the Earth. Such beliefs are prompted to be falsified immediately after the discovery of a new source of Oxygen labeled as, Dark Oxygen.
Significance of the Study
The CCZ or the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a huge region measuring 4. megacycles of which are 5 million square kilometers (1. 7 million square miles), and manganese and polymetallic elongated nodules that look like coal. Such nodules are known to generate oxygen, apart from sunlight or photosynthesis and other means.
The representation of Penelope as such a character is still rather shocking and that is why this revelation poses such a threat: First, First, it indicates that there is another way through which oxygen is supplied to the planet is not through photosynthesis. This could alter how many people comprehend how oxygen is made and sustained in this world.
Second, it relates to the emergence of life on the planet to the origin of life theories. In a SAMS video, Andrew Sweetman also mentioned that this research could help to shed light on where exactly life started on our planet. If oxygen can be generated in the bottom of the sea where light cannot penetrate, it presents the fact that life could have evolved before photosynthesis appeared on Earth. However, assuming that this process is happening on Earth, it may also be happening somewhere on other planets in the universe creating new directions in the search for other forms of life.
The Journey to Discovery
The expedition to discover this source of dark oxygen started over a decade ago during a research expedition in 2013. However, the first goal was to see how the oxygen concentrations in the CCZ seafloor increased or decreased with depth. The team employed landers – mechanical structures that are launched and let to fall to the sea floor following oxygen levels and found this new source of oxygen.
They allocate a lot of time to the planning of the research and also get involved in advanced technology. The landers that were utilized by Sweetman and his group were fitted with probes to record the density of oxygen at several depths. These metrics showed that there was more oxygen production in some regions than previously thought, which paved the way for the detection of dark oxygen.
Implications for Future Research
This discovery may go against the existing theories regarding the availability of oxygen sources on our planet and may revolutionize the view on the requirements for life on this planet. Thus, the implications of this discovery do not confine itself to the Earth and can enlighten whether or not other planets contain life. One might require reconsideration of previous approaches to oxygen generation and the impact of mineral deposits on life support.
Furthermore, it can be stated that this discovery can be useful in practice. Find out how it was synthesized and if there are other processes where it will be applicable, for instance in space or underwater where sunshine is not a possibility.
Conclusion
Recent research discovered a new source of dark oxygen in the region of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) and this new information doubts the previous theories about the origin of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. This research matters because it uncovers information that oxygen can be generated by some mineral deposits that are located at deep sections of the ocean and this discovery will expand knowledge on the development of life and the existence of life on other planets.
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