Deep-sea Mining Disrupts the Food Chain Far Above the Seabed – New Studie Shows

Researchers at the University of Hawaii have studied how the marine ecosystem is affected in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, where mining is currently being tested. The report shows that sediments stirred up by mining disrupt the food chain.

^{Text: Arvid Wiclander Mellgren}

There are currently no industrial deep-sea mines anywhere in the world, but many companies want to be able to extract valuable minerals from the seabed, and the Norwegian government recently decided to allow deep-sea mining. Scientists have warned that mining could have negative consequences for the marine environment, particularly for species living on the seabed.

Not only the bottom is damaged

However, the new study shows that mining also has a negative impact on the intermediate layer of the ocean. Researchers have measured the nutrient values in the middle layer of the water in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone, where sediment and other particles from mining are released. The measurements show that the water there is becoming less nutritious, as the residues from mining dilute the nutrient-rich particles that form the basis of the ecosystem.

Zooplankton, which feed on the particles that accumulate where mining has taken place, become fewer in number as their food source diminishes. The entire marine food chain then suffers, as zooplankton form its basis.

‘When waste from mining operations enters the ocean, it makes the water as murky as the muddy Mississippi River. The penetrating particles dilute the nutrient-rich, natural food particles that are normally consumed by small, drifting zooplankton,’ said Michael Dowd, lead author of the study, in a press release.

Mining in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean is still only being tested, and no commercial deep-sea mining is currently being conducted anywhere in the world. Environmental organisations such as WWF and Greenpeace have previously warned of the negative consequences that seabed mining could have.

‘Deep-sea mining has not yet begun on a commercial scale, so this is our chance to make informed decisions,’ says Brian Popp, co-author and professor of geosciences.

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