Potato-sized clumps of metal at the bottom of the deepest oceans might aid our fight against climate change, but mining these could also damage a world we know very little about.
Ecology
Aug 12, 2021
0
5
Deep-sea mining in international waters could begin in two years—but researchers say this is unnecessary and could cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems.
Ecology
Jul 29, 2021
1
15
The deep sea is far away and hard to envision. If imagined, it seems like a cold and hostile place. However, this remote habitat is directly connected to our lives, as it forms an important part of the global carbon cycle. ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 8, 2020
0
46
Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to everyone, according to international law.
Environment
Aug 17, 2020
1
11
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by 13 prominent deep-sea biologists, led by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanography professor Craig Smith, seeks to dispel scientific misconceptions that have led ...
Environment
Aug 7, 2020
0
487
Interest in deep-sea mining for copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese and other valuable metals has grown substantially in the last decade and mining activities are anticipated to begin soon. A new study, authored by 19 marine ...
Environment
Jul 9, 2020
0
102
The climate emergency is finally on the global agenda, with plans and strategies abounding on how we can transition to a low-carbon future. Business as usual is no longer an option. To reach our targets, we need to change ...
Environment
Mar 12, 2020
0
39
The essential roles that microbes play in deep-sea ecosystems are at risk from the potential environmental impacts of mining, a new paper in Limnology and Oceanography reports. The study reviews what is known about microbes ...
Environment
Jan 14, 2020
1
169
Resting atop Thomas Peacock's desk is an ordinary-looking brown rock. Roughly the size of a potato, it has been at the center of decades of debate. Known as a polymetallic nodule, it spent 10 million years sitting on the ...
Environment
Dec 6, 2019
2
18
It is completely dark, just above freezing cold and the pressure is crushing: this is the deep-sea floor. Food is very scarce in this huge region, yet a great diversity of animals have adapted to exploit and recycle resources ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 9, 2019
0
27
