Dark Oxygen: a deep sea discovery

A discovery in the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean has been challenging the scientific consensus of how oxygen is produced and has even called into question how life on Earth began.Photosynthetic organisms like plants and algae use energy from sunlight to create the planet’s oxygen. But new evidence published by Prof. Andrew Sweetman and collaborators, including his former PhD student Dr Danielle de Jonge, has shown how oxygen is also produced in complete darkness at the seafloor 4,000 metres below the ocean surface, where no light can penetrate.Now Prof. Sweetman is returning to the Pacific with custom-built equipment, thanks for funding from The Nippon Foundation, to find out how this phenomenon is occurring.In this episode Prof. Sweetman and Dr de Jonge share their experience of making the Dark Oxygen discovery and the 'rollercoaster' they've experienced as their research paper continues to make global headlines.The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.