Researchers are completing one of the largest studies of potential environmental impacts. deep sea mining found a little more than we expected ocean sex: 4350 animals, each measuring at least 0.3 millimeters. From these, they ultimately identified 788 individual species of unique crustaceans, mollusks, marine bristle worms and other creatures that live in this popular mining zone.
Although the team found that collecting rare earth metals more than 13,000 feet below the ocean surface may not be possible. enough While these disruptions are as devastating as originally thought, they remain a major concern. The team's findings are published today in the journal. Ecology of nature and evolution.
Despite being one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet for humans, commercial interest in it is growing rapidly. deepest parts of the ocean. Unfortunately, this hobby is often less about saving and more about profit. This is because some of the largest on the planet deposits of rare earth metals located on the seabed, making them an increasingly attractive target for companies.
One of the most attractive targets for proponents of deep sea mining is Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a continent-sized abyssal plain located about 2.5 miles deep between Hawaii and Mexico. In addition to being rich in mineral resources, the CCZ is also one of the least explored habitats in the world. In 2022, marine biologists announced the discovery more than 5000 new species cataloged during a research excursion to the area.
With so much biodiversity still to be studied, conservationists have repeatedly raised concerns about the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining in regions like the CCZ. However, there is virtually no research on this topic.
“Critical metals are essential for our green transition, and they are in short supply,” Thomas Dahlgren, a marine biologist at the Swedish University of Gothenburg and co-author of the study, says the statement. “Some of these metals are found in large quantities on the deep sea floor, but so far no one has shown how they can be extracted or what impact it will have on the environment.”
To learn more about the potential impacts, Dahlgren and his teammates surveyed a nearly 50-mile stretch of the ZCZ two years before it was scheduled to undergo a test run with a deep-sea mining vehicle. They then returned two months after the collector to conduct a total of 160 days of field work, discovering more than 4,000 organisms living there, including 788 individual species of mollusks, crustaceans, marine bristle worms and many others.
“I've been working in the Clarion-Clipperton area for over 13 years, and this is by far the largest study that's ever been done,” Dahlgren explained. “Because most species have not been previously described, molecular data (DNA) has been critical to facilitating research into the biodiversity and ecology of the seafloor.”
The results of the mountain tests were stunning: on the tracks of the vehicle, the team calculated 37% reduction in overall animal population and 32% reduction in diversity..
“Deep-sea mining in the CCZ is at a critical juncture as the industry looks to move beyond the exploration phase into commercial exploitation,” the study authors wrote. “There is therefore a clear need to directly assess the impacts of mining on faunal abundance and biodiversity on the seafloor.”
Marine biologists hope that once this first major project is completed, it can serve as a basis for future analysis of the impacts of deep-sea mining. Going forward, they also hope to explore the 30 percent of CCAs that are currently protected by environmental regulations.
“We currently have virtually no idea what lives there,” added researcher and study co-author Adrian Glover from the Natural History Museum in London.
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