- An international team of scientists will launch a deep-sea expedition in May 2026 to test if metal nodules on the Pacific seabed can create oxygen in darkness through natural reactions.
- Led by British marine ecologist Andrew Sweetman, the expedition seeks evidence of “dark oxygen” in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, sparking debate among ocean scientists and mining advocates.
- The Nippon Foundation-backed mission aims to uncover how naturally charged deep-sea rocks might split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen — potentially rewriting marine chemistry as we know it.
Are there hidden sources of oxygen lurking in the ocean’s abyss? This intriguing question resurfaces as an international team of scientists prepares a deep-sea expedition to verify a bold hypothesis — that metallic rocks on the seafloor may generate oxygen even in total darkness.
According to Phys.org, the upcoming expedition will employ two newly designed underwater landers capable of descending as far as 11 kilometers beneath the ocean surface. The mission aims to determine whether metal nodules on the seabed can truly produce “dark oxygen” through natural electrochemical reactions.
Andrew Sweetman, a British marine ecologist who first reported the possible existence of dark oxygen in 2024, leads the research team. His crew plans to deploy the landers in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a vast stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico.
In a press briefing, Sweetman emphasized that the mission’s upgraded instruments are specifically equipped to measure seafloor respiration. “We’ve used these instruments for the past 20 years, and every time we deployed them, we never detected any gas bubbles,” Sweetman said, responding to skeptics who suggested that previous oxygen detections may have come from trapped air.
The metal nodules under investigation are fist-sized and rich in valuable materials such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese—key components in electric vehicle battery production. Scientists suspect that natural electrical charges within these rocks could split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen through a process resembling natural electrolysis.
However, the findings have stirred fierce debate between ocean researchers and the deep-sea mining industry. Skeptics, including scientists from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany, question Sweetman’s claims.
Biogeochemist Matthias Haeckel of GEOMAR noted that his team’s studies have shown no evidence of oxygen production from metal nodules. Nonetheless, Sweetman is set to join a joint research mission later this year, allowing both teams to compare their methods directly.
Sweetman reiterated that his goal is not to halt deep-sea mining but to better understand its ecological consequences. “If commercial mining proceeds, its impact will be far-reaching,” he said. “These nodules host a variety of marine life. Our intention is not to stop mining but to gather enough data to help minimize its effects.”
The expedition, funded by Japan’s Nippon Foundation, is scheduled to set sail in May 2026. Preliminary results are expected within 24 to 48 hours after the devices return to the surface, though more detailed laboratory analyses may take several months to complete.
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