The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is charged with regulating deep-sea mining in the Area and its environmental impacts. To evaluate these impacts, the ISA’s rules call for contractors to delineate and monitor Impact Reference Zones (IRZs) and Preservation Reference Zones (PRZs). In general, an IRZ represents the area impacted by mining operations. A PRZ, in […]
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KIRA COLEY on MARINE TECHNOLOGY NEWS | 24 October 2017 “Over millions of years, metal particles accrete onto sediment grains slowly forming lumps of commercially-valuable metallic ores in deep aphotic basins three miles underwater. As resources dwindle, mining companies are increasingly looking to the ocean to provide the metals and minerals we need. But environmental […]
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JPI OCEANS | 19 October 2017 “In the 19th century, some researchers believed that below water depths of 1000 meters life was not possible. Today we know they were wrong. However, the deep sea still surprises scientists. Until recently it was widely believed that the large deep-sea plains in the central Pacific were very uniform […]
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JAMES MCNISH on NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM | 10 October 2017 “The research, led by the Museum, has expanded the number of known species of mollusc living on the zone’s seafloor from one to 21, with some species new to science. According to Dr Adrian Glover, principal investigator of the Museum’s Deep-sea Systematics and Ecology Research […]
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NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM LONDON (NHM) | 25 September 2017 “The sponges live on the ocean floor on metal-rich nodules. The region where they live is targeted by deep-sea mining companies interested in mineral extraction. Scientists believe they are likely the most abundant animal living on the nodules and could be a key indicator species for […]
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TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP | 24 September 2017 A completely new group of sponges has been discovered, which scientists believe could be a key indicator species in measuring future mining impact in a region targeted for deep-sea mining of polymetallic (metal-rich) nodules. They are likely to be the most abundant nodule-dwelling animal in the area. […]
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The Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is field-testing a new monitoring system for long-term environmental data collection on the deep seafloor. The Edokko Mark I is a simple deep sea shuttle camera which descends from a surface vessel to the seafloor using its own weight, captures images and floats back to the […]
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HENRY LAZENBY on MINING WEEKLY | 29 August 2017 “In a new era of ever-advancing technology and increased legal certainty, ocean floor mining is set to take off in the next decade as several juniors jostle to be first to exploit the wealth hidden on the deep ocean floor. DeepGreen Resources chief development officer Anthony […]
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REUTERS | 29 August 2017 “BEIJING (Reuters) – China Minmetals Corp [CHMIN.UL] has flagged off its maiden deep-sea venture seeking minerals in the east Pacific Ocean, a company spokesman confirmed. The ’Xiang Yang Hong 06’ survey vessel, with a crew of 26, on Tuesday left Qingdao in China’s eastern Shandong province for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture […]
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Exploring some of the world’s most remote ocean regions is no small task, especially when the mission includes investigation of benthic habitats and features on the forefront of interest to the deep seabed mining industry. Yet a slurry of such expeditions has recently been undertaken, launching headlines around the world and contributing to our scientific […]
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