Overview
- The Nippon Foundation announced in London the formation of an international team with the Scottish Association for Marine Science to investigate possible oxygen generation on the deep seafloor.
- Funding of about $5.2 million over roughly three years will support the research program.
- A proprietary in situ oxygen sensor is slated for deployment in May in the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone to gather direct measurements near 4,000 meters depth.
- Experts from Boston University and Northwestern University have joined the team with specialties in seabed minerals and microbial research.
- The effort will test chemical mechanisms proposed for oxygen production in manganese- and cobalt-bearing rocks and will assess potential effects on deep-sea ecosystems.