The discovery that lumps of metal on the seafloor produce oxygen raises questions over plans to mine the deep ocean.

Scientists have discovered “dark oxygen” being produced in the deep ocean, apparently by lumps of metal on the seafloor.

About half the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean. But, before this discovery, it was understood that it was made by marine plants photosynthesising - something that requires sunlight.

Here, at depths of 5km, where no sunlight can penetrate, the oxygen appears to be produced by naturally occurring metallic “nodules” which split seawater - H2O - into hydrogen and oxygen.

Several mining companies have plans to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt the newly discovered process - and damage any marine life that depends on the oxygen they make.

  • Krauerking@lemy.lolEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    I mean the article is being hyperbolic I think to try and sway opinion away from thinking it’s a good idea to mine these nodules.

    We have a bunch of billionaires who are suddenly excited to go full Dune on the ocean floor for scraps of metal that aren’t currently on owned land and will fuck up the ecology just because it will finally make them more wealthy.

    If it seems like there is grand mysteries and a impact on us instead of just all the low lying marine life it might get people to say it’s a bad idea and public opinion will get them to stop.

    It’s just a shame that Shame doesn’t work as well as it used to to control people.