Will Our Oceans Survive by 2050?
Dangers of deep-sea mining and why it’s a bad idea.
By Khushi Agarwal
What is seabed mining?
For a long time, underwater mining was unknown to marine biologists, and they hadn’t paid enough attention to mining the seabed. They believed that the seabed was a vast expanse of a barren and cragged surface. However, since its discovery, oceanographers and various mineral companies have been extensively mining new minerals on the seafloor — copper, nickel, silver, gold, gemstones etc. Today, companies across the globe have been using underwater mining to extract minerals and oils from the sea and have also launched various mining programmes. Rising demand for minerals and natural resources has caused a surge in oceanic pollution and has destroyed the seabed. Exploration contracts for these resources have been created by multifarious countries across the globe including Japan, China, United States, Russia etc.
By developing newer technologies every day, companies extract hundreds of tonnes of material from the surface, remove polymetallic nodules (metallic objects), seafloor massive sulfides (SMS), ferromanganese crusts and discard the waste into the sea. This causes oceanic pollution as the sediment contains toxins like mercury and lead which poison the marine ecosystem. A study by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences estimated that each mining ship will release two million cubic feet of toxic discharge on a daily basis, equivalent to fill a freight train that is 16 miles long. Researchers called this a “conservative estimate” since the other predictions have been three times higher. In conclusion, they said, “a very large area will be blanketed by sediment to such an extent that many animals will not be able to cope with the impact, and whole communities will be severely affected by the loss of individual species”.
How does seabed mining impact the environment?
Additionally, as of January 2020, ISA (International Seabed Authority) has issued several permits and entered about 30 contracts for the exploration of minerals such as polymetallic nodules (metallic objects), seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the seabed with 21 contractors. These contractors include corporate enterprises, state-owned companies and several governments that are eager to establish rights to mine and capture the international sea-bed.
Seabed mining causes a significant impact on the oceans such as disturbance of the seafloor by scraping the seafloor machines can destruct natural habitats, leading to a loss of species and the ecosystem’s structure and function. Mining can also cause sediment plumes. Some forms of mining stir up sediments like clay, silt and remains of microorganisms, which creates plumes of the suspended particles. Noise Pollution is also another major problem which is caused due to deep-sea mining. Species such as whales and sharks could be affected by the noise, vibration as well as light pollution caused by mining equipment and vessels.
How can we reduce the impact of this issue?
In order to solve this environmental issue, a better understanding of the sea is essential to guide mitigation strategies as well as proper regulations must be enforced to limit the impact of deep-sea mining activities.
- Baseline Studies
To tackle this issue, one must ensure to follow certain norms such as Baseline studies — they need to be conducted in order to understand the different types of species in the deep sea, their natural habitat, and how mining activities could interfere with them. Furthermore, funds are needed for training and educational programmes which are based on improving the understanding of the sea. Environmental impact assessments are essential to access the extent, range and duration of the damage occurring in the seas due to extensive mining. These assessments could also help ensure the loss of biodiversity that has occurred due to these mining activities.
2. Mitigation measures
Newer technologies need to be developed as the current technologies are not sufficient to avoid serious harm to the environment, which includes loss of biodiversity. Mining strategies need to be focused on reducing their environmental impact. The strategy should include establishing protected area networks to keep the majority of the seabed undisturbed. Precautions like reducing the duration and extent of mining should also be taken into consideration. Improvisation of the mining equipment used could also reduce the impact on the seabed.
3. Circular Economy
Products must be recycled, reused and repaired in order to reduce the frequency of extraction of raw materials from the seabed. Enhancing the products/technology to make use of less or alternative materials which will in turn reduce the demand. The measures mentioned above could immensely help reduce deep-sea mining which is an alarming issue in the world today.
Works Cited
“Deep-Sea Mining.” IUCN, 5 Dec. 2018, www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deep-sea-mining
Miller, Kathryn A., et al. “An Overview of Seabed Mining Including the Current State of Development, Environmental Impacts, and Knowledge Gaps.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 6 Dec. 2017, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00418/full
Story by Wil S. Hylton. “History’s Largest Mining Operation Is About to Begin.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 18 Dec. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/01/20000-feet-under-the-sea/603040/
Ackerman, Daniel. “Deep-Sea Mining: How to Balance Need for Metals with Ecological Impacts.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/deep-sea-mining-how-to-balance-need-for-metals-with-ecological-impacts1/
“The Main Players.” Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition, 22 Sept. 2020, www.savethehighseas.org/deep-sea-mining/the-main-players/
