Deep-Sea Mining

2025 will be a decisive year for the deep sea mining regime. Pressure is mounting on the International Seabed Authority to adopt regulations for the commercial extraction of minerals while an increasing group of diverse actors are calling for a moratorium. In this comment, we give an overview of the state of negotiations, contextualize the most contentious issues and explain the institutional and legal framework in which the negotiations are taking place.

Cerium atoms are not incorporated into the crystal structure of bioapatites as host grains, but precipitate on the surface, according to high-energy-resolution X-Ray absorption spectroscopy data from bioapatites of fish bones and teeth recovered in deep-sea sediments, and computational simulations.

This study evaluated the success of marine ecosystem restoration efforts through a descriptive statistical comparison, a formal meta-analysis conducted on 764 active restoration interventions, and by using a mixed model based on a spectrum of survival data reported in the reviewed literature.

Mining-induced benthic sediment plume forms a gravity current and remains close to the seafloor. Particle flocculation and sediment redeposition occur rapidly, whilst the suspended particle concentration is reduced fast with distance and altitude.

The extent of impact by midwater discharge plumes from deep-sea nodule mining will be influenced by the quantity of plume sediment, ocean turbulence and acceptable environmental thresholds, according to numerical modelling and direct experiments

A species-level dataset of sediment-dwelling macrofauna, sampled 2 years before and 2 months after a test of a commercial deep-sea mining machine, reveals losses of macrofaunal density and species richness within the machine’s tracks and community-level effects in both the tracks and an area impacted by sediment plumes.

The authority created to safeguard the ocean floor now leans towards licensing its exploitation. Here’s how to reset the balance.

The environmental effects of deep-seabed mining can only be managed within acceptable limits if they are effectively monitored. To achieve this for deep-seabed mining in international waters, four critical components first need to be addressed by the International Seabed Authority: baseline knowledge, indicators and thresholds, area-based management tools, and technical capabilities.

Four decades after a test mining experiment that removed nodules, the biological impacts in many groups of organisms persist, although populations of several organisms have begun to re-establish despite persistent physical changes at the seafloor.