Deep-sea misconceptions cause underestimation of seabed-mining impacts


Date:
August 8, 2020
Source:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Summary:
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by
13 prominent deep-sea biologists seeks to dispel scientific
misconceptions that have led to miscalculations of the likely
effects of commercial operations to extract minerals from the
seabed.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by 13 prominent
deep-sea biologists, led by University of Hawai'i at M?noa oceanography professor Craig Smith, seeks to dispel scientific misconceptions that
have led to miscalculations of the likely effects of commercial operations
to extract minerals from the seabed.


==========================================================================
The deep sea, ocean depths below 650 feet (200 metres), constitutes more
than 90% of the biosphere, harbors the most remote and extreme ecosystems
on the planet, and supports biodiversity and ecosystem services of
global importance.

Interest in deep-seabed 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.

"As a team of deep-sea ecologists, we became alarmed by the misconceptions present in the scientific literature that discuss the potential impacts of seabed mining," said Smith. "We found underestimates of mining footprints
and a poor understanding of the sensitivity and biodiversity of deep-sea ecosystems, and their potential to recover from mining impacts. All the
authors felt it was imperative to dispel misconceptions and highlight
what is known and unknown about deep seabed mining impacts." In addition
to the impacts of mining on ecosystems in the water above extraction activities, as detailed in another UH-led study published last month,
Smith and co-authors emphasize deep-seabed mining impacts on the seafloor, where habitats and communities will be permanently destroyed by mining.

"The bottom line is that many deep-sea ecosystems will be very sensitive
to seafloor mining, are likely to be impacted over much larger scales than predicted by mining interests, and that local and regional biodiversity
losses are likely, with the potential for species extinctions," said
Smith.

The scope of mining impacts from full scale mining, however, will not
be well understood until a full-scale mining operation is conducted
for years. The geographic scale and ecosystem sensitivities to mining disturbance occurring continuously for decades cannot be simulated or effectively studied at a smaller scale, according to the authors.

"All the simulations conducted so far do not come close to duplicating the spatial scale, intensity and duration of full-scale mining," said Smith.

"Further, the computer models use ecosystem sensitivities derived from
shallow- water communities that experience orders of magnitude higher
levels turbidity and sediment burial (mining-type perturbations) under
natural conditions than the deep-sea communities targeted for mining."
Much of the planned deep-seabed mining will be focused in the Pacific
Ocean, near Hawai'i, and also near Pacific Island nations. Hawai'i and
Pacific Island nations are likely to particularly suffer from any negative environmental impacts, but may benefit economically from deep-seabed
mining, creating a need to understand the trade-offs of such mining.

"Polymetallic-nodule mining (as currently planned) may ultimately impact 500,000 square kilometers of deep seafloor in the Pacific, an area the
size of Spain, yielding perhaps the largest environmental footprint
of a single extractive activity by humans," said Smith. "Addressing
the misconceptions and knowledge gaps related to deep-sea mining is
the first step towards effective management of deep-seabed mining."
The researchers aim to work closely with regulators and society to help
manage deep-seabed mining and emphasize the need to proceed slowly with
seabed mining until impacts are fully appreciated.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided
by University_of_Hawaii_at_Manoa. Original written by Marcie
Grabowski. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Craig R. Smith, Verena Tunnicliffe, Ana Colac,o, Jeffrey C. Drazen,
Sabine Gollner, Lisa A. Levin, Nelia C. Mestre, Anna Metaxas,
Tina N.

Molodtsova, Telmo Morato, Andrew K. Sweetman, Travis Washburn,
Diva J.

Amon. Deep-Sea Misconceptions Cause Underestimation of Seabed-Mining
Impacts. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/
j.tree.2020.07.002 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200808085754.htm

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