A scientific consortium disclosed on Tuesday the successful development of advanced deep-sea lander apparatuses, engineered specifically to validate a controversial finding concerning metallic seabed formations that purportedly generate “dark oxygen.”
The potential existence of an uncatalogued terrestrial oxygen source emanating from the abyssal plains would constitute a monumental paradigm shift, challenging established scientific understandings of abiogenesis on our planet.
However, entities involved in the deep-sea mining sector, which are poised to extract valuable minerals enclosed within these spherical, polymetallic concretions, alongside a segment of the academic community, have voiced considerable skepticism regarding this assertion.
Consequently, Andrew Sweetman, a British marine ecologist who spearheaded the 2024 investigation that brought the potential presence of dark oxygen to light, is preparing to orchestrate a new subaquatic expedition in the forthcoming months.
During a media briefing convened on Tuesday, Sweetman and his associates presented two novel lander units designed for deployment at depths reaching 11 kilometers (approximately 7 miles), with the explicit objective of elucidating the mechanisms by which these nodules might be responsible for oxygen generation.
In contrast to prior exploratory missions, these landers will be outfitted with specialized instrumentation calibrated to “quantify seafloor metabolic activity,” as elucidated by Sweetman.
These devices are engineered to endure pressures exceeding 1,200 times those experienced at the terrestrial surface, bearing a striking resemblance to equipment utilized in extraterrestrial exploration endeavors, according to a press release.
The deployment of these landers is scheduled to commence from a research vessel operating within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an expansive oceanic expanse situated between Hawaii and Mexico.
Commercial entities have articulated intentions to initiate the extraction of these nodules, which contain critical metals indispensable for the fabrication of electric vehicle batteries and other advanced technologies.
The research team posits that the nodules possess the capacity to liberate sufficient electrical charge to induce the dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules, a phenomenon known as electrolysis.
An underwater commoditization quest?
Sweetman also availed himself of the press conference to address and counter critiques leveled against his 2024 publication.
Certain investigators have proposed that the detected oxygen originated not from the nodules themselves, but rather from inadvertent air entrapment within the measurement apparatus.
“These instruments have been consistently employed over the past two decades, and we have never encountered an instance of bubble contamination with their deployment,” Sweetman asserted, further noting that rigorous validation protocols were executed to preempt such potential artifacts.
This scientific divergence emerges concurrently with escalating efforts by corporations and sovereign states to establish regulatory frameworks governing the nascent and potentially ecologically disruptive deep-sea mining industry.
The 2024 investigation led by Sweetman received partial financial backing from The Metals Company, a Canadian enterprise engaged in deep-sea mineral extraction, which has subsequently offered sharp criticism of his findings.
“Should commercial exploitation proceed, the ramifications are likely to be widespread,” Sweetman cautioned, emphasizing that “these nodules serve as habitats for a diverse array of marine organisms.”
Nevertheless, the scientist stressed that their objective is “not to identify findings that would impede deep-sea mining activities.”
Instead, his primary aim is to amass comprehensive data that will facilitate the “mitigation of potential adverse effects to the greatest extent feasible” should mining operations commence.
Matthias Haeckel, a biogeochemist affiliated with Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, informed AFP that his own research yielded “no indications whatsoever of oxygen generation” by the nodules.
He did, however, mention that Sweetman is slated to “participate in our forthcoming expedition at the close of this year, during which we intend to conduct comparative analyses of our methodologies.”
In the context of the new research initiative supported by Japan’s Nippon Foundation, Sweetman and his team are scheduled to spend the month of May aboard a research vessel in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
“We anticipate being able to definitively confirm dark oxygen production within a 24 to 48-hour timeframe following the retrieval of the landers,” he stated.
It is anticipated that the global scientific community will not receive definitive results until the vessel’s return in June, with subsequent laboratory analyses conducted on land potentially requiring several additional months, Sweetman concluded.
