Strip mining the deepest parts of the ocean
The COVID-19 pandemic might have effects we don’t expect automatically. Deep sea mining is one of them. As the islands in the Pacific have mostly escaped the virus, their economies have taken a big hit as tourism to the region has plummeted. So, some Pacific Island nations, specifically those that border the resource rich Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), have started to sponsor mining companies to take out licenses for deep-sea mining.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is one of the five major lineations of the northern Pacific floor and borders the territorial waters of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tonga. The seafloor in the CCZ has an abundant presence of polymetallic nodules, but also contains an abundance and diversity of life, with more than half of the species collected being new to science. Polymetallic nodules are a potential mineral resource for copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, and rare earth elements -metals that are becoming important for modern life, since they are used in making electronics like rechargeable batteries and touch screens, among other things.
Potential impacts from deep-sea mining
The deep-sea mining industry is developing specialized underwater mining technology to extract these nodules from thousands of square kilometers of seafloor at depths of approximately 4,000 - 5,500 meters (12,000 - 18,000 feet). Because the CCZ is outside national jurisdiction, deep-sea mining in this region is regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The International Seabed Authority has designated nine areas as Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs), which are currently protected from mining activities. According to ISA´s list of “reserved areas” Tonga has sponsored contractor Tonga Offshore Mining Limited, Nauru has sponsored the Nauru Ocean Resources Inc., Kiribati has sponsored the Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd., and the Cook Islands has sponsored the Cook Islands Investment Corporation. The four companies have a combined reserved area of about 120,000 square miles.
According to a marine resources report, deep-sea mining would lead to the disruption of rare, sensitive organisms on the ocean floor, the destruction of habitats, and an increase in noise pollution, which could force marine mammals such as dolphins to flee from their natural areas. The full impact of deep-sea mining is still inconclusive and not fully understood, but there are several reports concluding that the impacts of mining deep-sea polymetallic nodules would be extensive, severe, and last for generations, causing essentially irreversible species loss. One of these reports, commissioned by Deep Sea Mining Campaign and MiningWatch Canada, found that a moratorium, which would allow scientists more time to determine the risks, is the best next step. In March of this year, BMW AG, Google, Samsung Electronics Co. and Volvo Cars endorsed the moratorium and pledged not to use deep-sea minerals. “Scientists have repeatedly warned that deep-sea mining would have terrible consequences for ocean ecosystems we barely understand, but giant machines are already being lined up for experimental mining of the Pacific Ocean seabed,” says Jessica Desmond, an oceans campaigner for Greenpeace, ahead of planned protests against DeepGreen Metals Inc., a Vancouver based deep-sea mining startup. Some of the impacts of mining activities could affect the deep sea and its ecosystems:
disturbance of the seafloor. The scraping of the ocean floor by machines can alter or destroy deep-sea habitats, leading to the loss of species and fragmentation or loss of ecosystem structure and function. Many species living in the deep sea are endemic – meaning they do not occur anywhere else on the planet – and physical disturbances in just one mining site can possibly wipe out an entire species. This is one of the biggest potential impacts from deep-sea mining.
sediment plumes. Some forms of deep-sea mining will stir up fine sediments on the seafloor consisting of silt, clay and the remains of microorganisms, creating plumes of suspended particles. It is unclear how far these particles may disperse beyond the mining area, how long it would take for them to resettle on the seafloor, and to what extent they may affect ecosystems and species, for instance by smothering animals or harming filter-feeding species that depend on clear, clean water to feed, such as krill and whale sharks.
pollution. Species such as whales, tuna and sharks could be affected by noise, vibrations and light pollution caused by mining equipment and surface vessels, as well as potential leaks and spills of fuel and toxic products (IUCN).
DeepGreen says that polymetallic nodule mining would be less destructive than land-based mining: “We see nodules as an opportunity to compress the disastrous impacts of land-based mining. Whilst nodule collection will impact the seabed where nodules are collected and create sediment plumes, the impacts of which will be studied in-depth over the next three years, our research finds that nodules offer significant environmental and social impact reductions when compared to mining the same metals on land.”
In 2019 he company’s chief ocean scientist, Greg Stone said in a podcast interview: “It’s a very deep, dark, very monotonous kind of place.” Scientists have found this isn’t the case. They have discovered that deep-sea life persists on timescales that overshadow human existence. Nodules form over tens of millions of years, accumulating metallic elements that precipitate from seawater. They are worlds onto themselves: a single nodule can be habitat for many different species, including millennia-old corals, tubeworms and sponges that incubate the eggs of ghost octopuses.
Deep-sea mining companies use the argument that that nodule mining is necessary to obtain the minerals needed for a global transition toward sustainable energy. But Catherine Coumans, one of the report’s editors and the Asia-Pacific program coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, says research shows that the minerals required for renewable energy can be found in existing terrestrial stocks and accumulations of electronic waste, and that the development of circular economies makes deep-sea mining an unnecessary exercise. “What people need to understand is what is at risk,” Coumans said. “The risk is to all of the ecosystems that are associated with the deep sea, and that goes right through to the fisheries that a lot of Pacific island nations rely on for food security and also for their livelihood. And the risk is also to the global community. If you destroy these nodules … you are not going to get them back in our lifetime, and you will be destroying the species that are associated with these nodules, as well as the microorganisms, and all the potential that they hold for us going forward.”
Sources
Main picture: NOAA Ocean Exploration