The Nippon Foundation, Scottish Association for Marine Science Embarking on Landmark Research into Deep-sea “Dark Oxygen” (2)

 

Speaking at a press briefing to announce the launch of a three-year joint project by The Nippon Foundation and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to study “dark oxygen”, SAMS’s Professor Andrew Sweetman, who is leading the research team, said: “Our discovery of dark oxygen was a paradigm shift in our understanding of the deep sea and potentially life on Earth, but it threw up more questions than answers.”

 

“This new research will enable us to probe some of these scientific questions. If we show that oxygen production is possible in the absence of photosynthesis, it changes the way we look at the possibility of life on other planets too. Indeed, we are already in conversation with experts at NASA who believe dark oxygen could reshape our understanding of how life might be sustained on other planets without direct sunlight.”

 

I told the media event: “The sea is vital to sustaining human life and biodiversity, but even today so much of the deep sea is unknown. We are passionate about innovating to achieve a better society, and we are proud to support Professor Sweetman’s research into dark oxygen in the hope that we might learn more about the deep sea and the life which exists at the bottom of the ocean.”

 

“With this funding, the team will conduct further in-depth studies at various locations worldwide, aiming to closely investigate the phenomenon of dark oxygen and uncover its mechanisms. The research will also assess the significance of dark oxygen, particularly to deep-sea ecosystems, and share their findings with the global community,” I added.

 

The Nippon Foundation aims to uncover the realities of the deep-sea floor, an area still largely unknown to humankind, through solid scientific research in collaboration with international organizations such as UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and research institutions worldwide, starting with SAMS.

 

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