Research personnel plan to further explore deep-sea "anoxic" conditions.

Previous studies have found that deep-sea polymetallic nodules may be able to produce oxygen that sustains life. Researchers from the Scottish Marine Science Association recently held a press conference announcing plans to use deep-sea detectors this year to further investigate the possible existence of deep-sea "dark oxygen." It is generally believed that the large-scale production of oxygen requires sunlight and photosynthesis. In 2024, marine ecologists such as Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Marine Science Association discovered potato-sized polymetallic nodules in the dark environments of the Pacific and Indian Oceans that could be a source of oxygen. The metal layers in the polymetallic nodules generate electricity, separating seawater into hydrogen gas and oxygen. This deep-sea "dark oxygen" may sustain life in dark environments thousands of meters deep, including microbes, sea cucumbers, and anemones. Sweetman recently announced at a press conference that new underwater surveys will be carried out in the coming months to further understand the mechanism of generating ocean "dark oxygen." He showcased two new types of landers at the press conference that can dive up to 11 kilometers deep, aiming to determine how these polymetallic nodules produce oxygen. The landers will also collect sediment core and polymetallic nodule samples for subsequent laboratory analysis, as the microbes present in the nodules may also play a role in oxygen production. The related research has also sparked some controversy. Researchers believe that deep-sea mining companies extracting polymetallic nodules on a large scale from the seabed to extract cobalt, nickel, and manganese can harm the marine ecosystem. Therefore, this research has been resisted by deep-sea mining companies. Some scientists also call for more evidence, suggesting that Sweetman's team did not detect enough energy in 2024 to drive seawater electrolysis, and the oxygen they observed was likely brought down from the surface by the landers.