OCEAN: Dark oxygen & more – 30th July 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 30th of July twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Scientists have discovered dark oxygen 13,000 feet under the sea in the Pacific Ocean. According to a study published on Monday the 22nd in the journal Nature Geoscience, polymetallic nodules that are abundant in manganese and iron can generate oxygen independently of photosynthesis. This discovery challenges the conventional belief that oxygen on Earth is only produced by photosynthetic organisms.

Andrew Sweetman and his team from the Scottish Association for Marine Science noticed an unexpected rise in oxygen levels near the ocean floor. Repeated experiments confirmed that these nodules generate oxygen through seawater electrolysis, using an electric charge to separate seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. The study suggests alternative oxygen sources might have existed before photosynthesis, possibly influencing early life on Earth. Wanna know more? Check out the link in the show notes!

Still in the Pacific. India wants to apply for licenses to investigate deep-sea minerals in the Pacific Ocean to support energy transition technologies. The International Seabed Authority has granted thirty-one exploration licenses so far, two of them for India. The country is focusing on the mineral-rich Clarion-Clipperton Zone, the same place where scientists recently discovered the dark oxygen.

India will apply for Pacific exploration next year. The country needs some time to develop seabed mining technology and expects to be ready in three to four years. India also expects to receive two more exploration permits for the Indian Ocean this year, targeting areas with polymetallic sulfide deposits and ferromanganese crusts. The country seeks critical minerals for its energy transition and green energy needs.

Let’s now sail from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center is tracking a disturbance in the central Atlantic with a 40% chance of developing in the next few days. Forecasters anticipate that this disturbed weather area will interact with an incoming tropical wave in the coming days. As the system approaches the Caribbean Sea, conditions are likely to become more favorable for its strengthening. By midweek, it may develop into a tropical depression near the northern Leeward Islands, Greater Antilles, or southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Talking about the Atlantic, Zara Lachlan, a twenty-one-year-old university student from Cambridge, plans to set records by rowing solo from Europe to South America. She aims to become the youngest person and first woman to complete the journey in October. Lachlan is a physics student at Loughborough University and her goal is to promote women's sports through her challenge. She will raise funds for Women in Sport, a charity addressing gender inequality in sports.

Lachlan, who has rowed since she was sixteen, admitted fears of encountering orcas, sharks, and pirates during the 3,600-nautical mile trip (a bit more than 6,660 kilometers) from Portugal to French Guiana. She will row fifteen hours a day for three months, facing physical and mental fatigue. Lachlan hopes to inspire confidence in women to engage in sports activities.

Let’s sail to the Indian Ocean. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute recently published the analysis of his researcher Marcus Schultz on the Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean. Based on the analysis, Australia must prepare for Chinese threats in the maritime trade routes, increasing defense capabilities and protecting offshore resources.

Schultz also highlights how crucial it is for Australia to strengthen ties with Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Learning from past strategies and enhancing cooperation with India, Britain, and the U.S. will also strengthen Australia’s defense. Updating maritime tactics is necessary.

On another note, Red Sea disturbances caused by Houthi attacks have pushed most major container lines to switch their routes to the Cape of Good Hope, with only CMA CGM continuing through the Suez Canal. The website Linerlytica, which provides data for the container shipping industry, reported that the impact affects 14% of Asia-Europe trade ships, which only account for 4% of the total capacity. Increased regional tensions seem to have not significantly changed container ship movements.

The Suez Canal Authority reported a 2.2 billion US dollars (more than two billion euros) revenue drop due to less transit, emphasizing the canal's role in Egypt's economy. The current war in Gaza risks further destabilizing the region, affecting future canal revenues.

From Suez to the Panama Canal. Due to recent droughts affecting the Panama Canal, China has begun building a massive alternative port to the Canal in Chancay, Peru, located sixty kilometers (almost forty miles) north of Lima. This new facility aims to become a major hub in the Silk Road's maritime network.

The port will be deep enough to handle large freighters up to 400 meters (around 1,300 feet) long, which are too large for the Panama Canal. China invested around three-point-five billion US dollars (around three-point-two billion euros) for its development.

In other news, Russia and China have introduced a new rail cargo service linking their ports through the Arctic and North Pacific Oceans. The service transports goods from Moscow to the Port of Arkhangelsk and then to China over 13,200 kilometers (more than 8,000 miles). This route will cut transit time by about a week compared to traditional Northern Sea Route shipping.

The partners also plan to form a joint venture to run container ships year-round on the Northern Sea Route. They will build five ice-capable containerships for Arctic operations and aim to ship 200 million tonnes of cargo through this route by twenty thirty-one. The joint venture will finalize in August, with operations starting soon after.

We’ll now sail from one Pole to the other. New research shows that the Southern Ocean absorbs 25% more carbon dioxide than earlier estimates. Scientists used new direct measurement methods to find that the Antarctic Ocean takes in more carbon dioxide in the summer.

The study, published in Science Advances on Wednesday the 24th, highlights the need for more accurate temperature adjustments. By analyzing data from the Antarctic summers of twenty nineteen and twenty-twenty, researchers found that earlier estimates were too low. They recommended expanding measurements, especially in winter, and increasing funding for ocean carbon dioxide research to improve climate models. Go check the link in the show notes if you’d like to see the study!

Let’s have a look at the Black Sea. The Canadian international oil and gas producer Trillion Energy shared updates on their gas field work at the South Akcakoca Sub-Basin off Türkiye's coast. At the South Akcakoca-2, gas production is steady, with good pressure. The Guluc-2 initially faced some issues but later produced gas at a strong rate after the pressure was adjusted. West Akcakoca-1 had some delays but showed promising results after partial work. Trillion Energy plans to finish the work soon and expects good outcomes.

From the Black Sea to his neighbor, the Caspian Sea. Russia’s military activities are damaging the sea’s ecosystem. Recent mass fish and seal deaths off Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are likely linked to pollution from missile strikes and environmental stress.

Falling water levels, partly due to Russia’s increased agricultural water use, are disrupting shipping and trade routes. Regional cooperation under the Tehran Convention is essential to address these issues. The COP29 conference will take place in November in Azerbaijan and will offer a chance to seek international support.

But there is also good news for fish. Following the EU's five-year management plan, fish stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea have shown signs of recovery. The European Commission reported on Monday the 29th that species like red mullet in the Gulf of Lion have fully recovered. Scientific projections indicate that half of the fish stocks could reach sustainable levels by twenty twenty-five.

From twenty nineteen, the plan aimed to stabilize twenty fish stocks and manage the Mediterranean fleet's overcapacity by January twenty twenty-five. This involved curbing fishing efforts and encouraging the use of selective fishing gear. Economic data from last year shows that the fleet has remained profitable, due to high fish prices and lower fuel costs. The European Maritime Fisheries Fund and the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund supported the plan's implementation.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Do you know that besides the Ocean Update, we also do others? Our latest ones are the Arctic Update, about the area north of the Arctic Circle, and the Multilateral Update about all the world's major multilateral institutions. The other ones are all country updates, we have a selection of countries from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Check roroshok.com/updates to see the full list and find the link in the shownotes as well.

See you next week!