Deep-ocean floor produces its own ‘dark oxygen’
July 22, 2024
Franz Geiger along with an international team of researchers have discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen — 13,000 feet below the surface. The surprising discovery challenges long-held assumptions that only photosynthetic organisms, such as plants and algae, generate Earth’s oxygen. Based on this study, it now appears oxygen also can be produced at the seafloor — where no light can penetrate — to support the oxygen-breathing (aerobic) sea life living in complete darkness. Read more in Northwestern Now.
This international team's groundbreaking research is being covered by global media. Check out articles by Axios, Forbes, CNN, and Scientific American for more on this exciting discovery.