Manganese nodules on the ocean floor may be a source of oxygen
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Marine scientists who made headlines last year for their discovery that deep-sea nodules may be producing “dark oxygen” are embarking on a three-year research project to explain their discovery.
Amid controversy surrounding their research, project leaders andrew sweetman He, from the Scottish Marine Science Society, said the new project “conclusively shows” that chunks of metallic rock are the source of deep-sea oxygen and begins to explain how the process works. He says he is looking forward to it. “We know it's happening, and what we have to do now is show it again and start to really understand its mechanisms,” he says. .
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Sweetman argues that companies should refrain from seabed mining until scientists know more about the potential role of dark oxygen production in marine ecosystems. “All we're asking for is a little more time to go out and try to understand what's going on,” he says.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
