The deep ocean is terrifying to some; a dark abyss, home to unidentified sea creatures, and the angler fish from Finding Nemo. But despite its mysteries, the deep ocean is a haven for life, and a large one at that, as the seafloor makes up for 65% of the Earth’s surface. It is a haven that we constantly disrupt with our activities, from climate change to fishing, but a new imminent threat is deep-sea mining. Deep-sea mining is one of the biggest ways humans can directly affect the seabed and the creatures that live in the deep sea, making it vital that when commercial mining begins, it is done under extensive regulation, with proof that there is no irreversible damage being done.
Deep-sea mining is the process of retrieving mineral deposits from the deep sea which is the area of the ocean beyond 200m of depth. Deep-sea mining scrapes the seafloor and can wipe out entire species, many of which we do not have on record. The main reason we have been taking interest in the deep sea is because of the demand for metals like copper, nickel, aluminum, manganese, zinc, lithium, and cobalt because these metals are required to produce our latest smartphones and the equipment we need for renewable energy plants. Increasing urbanization has led to a need for greater amounts of metals and materials that are becoming more and more difficult to cultivate on land. However, many point out that is not enough reason to exploit a part of the Earth that we know close to nothing about. The licensure for deep-sea mining has been granted only recently; as recent as 2019. While commercial deep-sea mining is yet to happen on a large scale, the fact that licenses have been granted is of concern.
There are two ways deep-sea mining can be done: nodule mining, and mining that is targeted around sulfur vents and seeps. Nodule mining intends to sweep up the nodules that have accumulated minerals as they made their way down the depths of the ocean. There are approximately 550 billion metric tons of nodules in the seas. The second form of mining would target sulfur vents in shallower water, where mining structures would scrape sulfur and other precious metals from the sides of underwater ridges. Underwater ridges are areas of the seafloor where magma seeps up from beneath the ocean floor and spreads laterally, creating new seafloor. This is one of the key mechanisms behind plate tectonics.
Both forms of mining would cause consequences we may not even be able to predict. Of course, one of the biggest impacts would be on marine life. Erik Cordes, a researcher at Temple University and a frequent visitor of the deep ocean has said “The probability of an accident goes up with depth; The deeper you go, the more stable the environment is; the more stable it is, the less these organisms can deal with changes.” “If we put something in the deep ocean, we pretty much can’t clean it up”. Cordes has also said that animals in the deep ocean cannot adapt or regrow as fast as the creatures near the surface. Microbes at the surface can double their populations in 12 hours while in the deep ocean it can take half a year. Fish populations also take their time to grow their numbers. A creature that often comes up in conversations about deep-sea fishing is the common slimehead. The slimehead is a dark redfish that is found from 180-1500 m below the surface of the oceans. Slimehead, however, spawn only 4% of the number of eggs as cod and take 20 to 30 years to reach maturity. Disrupting species like this may even lead to their extinction.
Many species in the deep sea are endemic which means they cannot occur anywhere else on the planet. This means that disturbances caused by even on minding site could potentially wipe out an entire species. This is highly concerning. Another way deep-sea mining can affect marine life, and potentially humans are through sediment plumes. Deep-sea mining can stir up fine sediments on the seafloor creating plumes of suspended particles. These particles may disperse far beyond the mining area and smother entire ecosystems. They can pollute clean water and deeply impact creatures that depend on clear water to feed like krill.
Of course, putting anything manmade into natural habitats will cause some level of disturbance. The equipment for deep-sea mining would be tremendously large and would cause a lot of noise and vibrations in the water. This can affect whales, sharks, and tuna. If the equipment leads to fuel spills or leaks, this can directly impact the health of creatures near the equipment. Imagine a 4000 feet long vacuum; annoying right? We may also hurt creatures in the deep through light pollution. Most creatures of the deep ocean are accustomed to living in the dark, and some may even be disastrously sensitive to bright light.
To avoid the disastrous consequences of deep-sea mining, it is important that we understand these habitats. Then we can understand exactly how our activities may harm different species, and what we must do to avoid those impacts. There also needs to be environmental impact assessments to assess the range, extent, and duration of the environmental damage that can come about from deep-sea operations.
Regulation, of course, is the most far-reaching way we can protect the deep seas. The ISA, The International Seabed Authority, is operating to promote the development of deep-sea minerals whilst ensuring that there it is not harmful to the environment. This is of course quite contradictory and challenging and would require very strict regulation. One critique that has been made is that the ISA should place some of its responsibilities on other agencies and organizations, otherwise there may be possible conflicts of interest.
Alternatively, commercial deep-sea mining should not be allowed at all, and there should be better funding of new technology using the resources that are already at our disposal. Exploiting the deep sea before exploring all the options we already have is taking a very huge risk and might just cross the line with how much damage anthropogenic activities can cause.
Thankfully, a lot of thought is going into this industry before it is commercialized, as awareness of our impacts on the environment grows. However, this concern has to extend across this century, and even large corporations must be held accountable if they do not follow the rules. Additionally, there needs to be a better comprehensive understanding of the deep sea in the first place, before we begin to ‘explore’ it. Hopefully, explore does not become synonymous with exploit in the years to come.
Sources:
- “Deep-Sea Mining.” IUCN, 5 Dec. 2018, www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deep-sea-mining.
- Casson, Louisa. “5 Reasons Why Deep Sea Mining Will Only Get Our Planet into Deep Trouble.” Greenpeace International, 8 July 2019, www.greenpeace.org/international/story/23164/5-reasons-to-stop-deep-sea-mining/.
- “Human Activities Are Taking Their Toll in the Deep Ocean.” Climate Central, 11 June 2017, www.climatecentral.org/news/human-activities-toll-in-deep-ocean-21527.
- “Deep Seabed Mining Facts – What Is Deep Seabed Mining?” DSM Facts, 9 Apr. 2021, dsm-facts.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnL-aORQAczGX2Vwrq7f5DgAID4CmSJ32GW0B3iB2nRVh0DoIiaSQo0aAuu4EALw_wcB.