The Nippon Foundation said it would work with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to study “black oxygen”, which can be produced in ocean depths where sunlight does not penetrate. not.
A total of two million pounds sterling (2.3 million euros) will be spent on this project over a three-year period.
A team including Professor Andrew Sweetman from SAMS confirmed the existence of this gas last summer. This, according to the researchers, is most likely produced from manganese nodules, which contain metals like manganese and cobalt.
The discovery thus challenges the scientific consensus that oxygen production occurs solely from light through photosynthesis.
-As part of the project, an experimental device will be developed to measure the concentration rates of oxygen and hydrogen at depths of 11,000 meters and more. The Nippon Foundation and SAMS hope to be able to identify the origin of this black oxygen and analyze its consequences within the ocean floor ecosystem.
Sasakawa Yôhei, president of the Nippon Foundation (center) and Professor Andrew Sweetman (left), in London on January 17.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
