7 mei 2024 om 15:09 Update: 35 min. geleden
The mining of metals from deep seabeds is potentially very harmful to animals living in the lower ocean layer. Clouds of metal particles released during deep-sea mining have major consequences for sponges and other animal species, according to new research by Wageningen scientists.
Little is known about the consequences of deep-sea mining, because metals are currently not extracted from deep seabeds anywhere in the world. But Norway has recently legalized this form of mining. The country is taking steps to search miles deep for metals needed for the energy transition.
To get an idea of its effects, scientists studied deep-sea sponges and brittle stars in a laboratory, a starfish-like species that lives together with the sponges. They exposed the marine animals to clouds of small particles that would probably also be released when companies search for valuable metals in so-called sulfide deposits.
Zinc and copper can be found in these deposits. But in order to extract the metals, the chunks of stone must be ground up. This releases dust that can travel for miles through the ocean.
After the sponges were exposed to these “mining plumes” in the laboratory for three weeks, much of their tissue died. The fragment stars were all dead within ten days, probably due to metal poisoning, the scientists write in a professional journal Deep Sea Research Part I.
‘Deep sea is not a desert’
These results are not very surprising, says co-author Ronald Osinga of Wageningen Marine Research to NU.nl. “Copper is a known toxic substance. So the fact that animals die when exposed to it is actually not that strange. It probably has consequences for many more animals.”
According to Osinga, the results show that more research is needed into the effects of deep-sea mining on ocean ecosystems. “The deep sea is not a desert, all kinds of things grow there.”
Internationally, there are currently no rules at all for deep-sea mining. The International Seabed Authority, a UN body, must reach an agreement on this by 2025 at the latest. These agreements only concern international waters. In their own territorial seas, countries like Norway are allowed to set their own rules.
Osinga hopes that countries will agree to require proper research before metals are extracted from ocean floors. Small-scale trials must first identify the risks. It is then a political choice whether the extraction of metals can continue. “Then you can at least make a weighed decision whether you accept that damage or not,” says the researcher.
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Tags: Scientists fear consequences deepsea mining seabed life climate
