Dark Oxygen and Abyssal Electrolysis
BiologyComments
This is wild... but are the nodules actually acting as batteries in a traditional sense, or is this more of a spontaneous electrochemical reaction? I'm wondering if the voltage is actually stable enough to be called a battery...
Does this remind anyone of the initial claims about deep biosphere oxygen levels from a decade ago? I wonder if the current measurements are actually distinct from the background noise of the sediment.
This might change the environmental impact assessments for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. If these nodules are primary oxygen sources, we can look for ways to preserve specific clusters while still accessing minerals.
To add to that, the seawater electrolysis process probably depends on the specific mineral composition of the nodules, such as manganese and iron. This means the oxygen production rate likely varies significantly across different nodule fields.
I'm not sure preserving clusters is a viable solution. The electrolysis likely requires a specific density of nodules to maintain the local oxygen gradient, so thinning them out might kill the process entirely.
If we consider the potential for biological collapse, the cost might shift from operational expenses to astronomical liability. Imagine a scenario where removing the nodules triggers a localized hypoxic event for the entire benthic community.
It's similar to how we underestimated the role of hydrothermal vents before the 70s. The risk isn't just the hypoxic event, but the permanent loss of a geochemical catalyst we didn't know existed.