The Seafloor May Be Making Oxygen in Total Darkness

A study of polymetallic nodules raised the possibility that oxygen could be produced on a dark deep-ocean seafloor without sunlight. If confirmed, it would challenge a basic assumption about where oxygen production can occur. Editorial note: this dark-oxygen result is under active scientific scrutiny. It does not prove that oxygen production is widespread across the deep ocean. Evidence status: EMERGING Sources: • Nature Geoscience — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01413-z • NOAA Ocean Exploration — https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ Visual disclosure: AI-assisted cinematic reconstructions illustrate an emerging hypothesis and sampling context; they are not direct proof of the mechanism. NOCTICOSM — Science at the Edge of Reality. #DeepSea #DarkOxygen #OceanScience #PolymetallicNodules #Science #NOCTICOSM