News Oceans

In a seafloor surprise, metal-rich chunks may generate deep-sea oxygen

These nodules can act like batteries that split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen

A metal claw reaches for a round nodule on the seafloor.

Metallic nodules (such as the 10-centimeter one seen above being collected from the North Atlantic Ocean seafloor in 2021) can act like weak batteries and produce enough voltage to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, new research suggests.

NOAA Ocean Exploration

By Sid Perkins

In an unexpected twist, metal-rich nodules found on the seafloor are generating oxygen, new research suggests.

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