Metallic nodules scattered across the seabed in the Indian and Pacific oceans are a source of oxygen for nearby marine life – a finding that could upend our understanding of the deep ocean.

Researchers say the polymetallic nodules that mining companies hope to harvest from the deep-ocean seafloor may be a source of oxygen for the animals, plants and bacteria that live there. This ...

Now a new study suggests the nodules are able to produce oxygen about 4,000 m below the ocean’s surface (Nat. Geosci. 2024, DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01480-8). Credit: Camille Bridgewater (2024) ...

Deep-Sea ‘Nodules’ May Produce Oxygen, Study Finds. 12:12 minutes. Read Transcript; Listen via Podcasts; More from this broadcast; ... The researchers hypothesize that this could be a source of oxygen ...

The U.S. push to mine international waters for metals defies global efforts to control and protect these fragile ecosystems.

The discovery of this deep-sea oxygen, dubbed "dark oxygen," is the first time scientists have ever observed oxygen being generated without the involvement of organisms and challenges what we know ...

Researchers say the polymetallic nodules that mining companies hope to harvest from the deep-ocean seafloor may be a source of oxygen for the animals, plants and bacteria that live there.

Rare metals on deep sea and ocean floors miles below the surface produce "dark oxygen," and mining these minerals could cause potentially harmful changes to the marine ecosystem, according to new ...

Sea-floor nodules raise oxygen levels in the deep ocean, suggesting they may have a valuable role in ecosystems and adding to concerns about the impact of deep-sea mining By Madeleine Cuff 22 July ...

New research suggests that polymetallic nodules on the deep-sea floor may produce oxygen, a conclusion that could have enormous consequences for mining companies. Above, Gerard Barron, chairman ...