A surprising discovery!
Scientists have found something surprising: oxygen is being made in the very deep, dark parts of the Pacific Ocean, about 4,000 meters below the surface.
Professor Andrew Sweetman and his team discovered this while studying the area between Hawaii and Mexico to see how deep-sea mining might affect the ocean.
This discovery is surprising because we used to think that all the oxygen on Earth comes from plants that need sunlight to make it.
How is oxygen made in the deep sea?
We learn in school that oxygen is made by plants using sunlight. But there is no sunlight at the bottom of the ocean.
When Professor Sweetman’s team saw the oxygen data, they thought their equipment was broken. After 10 years of checking and fixing their tools, they confirmed that oxygen was really being produced down there.
Scientists think oxygen is made by special rocks called polymetallic nodules found on the ocean floor. These rocks have an electric charge that can split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen.
Why is this discovery important?
This finding shows that there are other ways to make oxygen besides photosynthesis. It could change how we understand Earth and where life comes from.
But it also makes us worry about deep-sea mining as it could harm our environment and its oxygen supply.
Scientists are now thinking about how this new information will affect our planet and the environment.
