HC005
Environmental impacts of deep-sea mining

Session ID#: 254800

Session Description:
The potential extraction of seabed minerals has gained increasing attention due to their enrichments in metals considered essential for a low-carbon future. To date, there is no commercial mining of seabed minerals. However, over 30 exploration contracts exist in national and international waters and several collection system tests have occurred for polymetallic nodules and sulphides. These tests have generated new data measuring a range of environmental conditions from benthic habitat characterization to benthic and midwater sediment plume transport. 

This session welcomes laboratory-, field-, and modeling-based studies of direct and indirect environmental impacts of deep-sea mining (DSM) operations. We aim to highlight the growing collection of baseline oceanographic datasets and experimental work designed to inform potential future DSM. Abstracts focusing on biological, chemical, physical, and ecological impacts of DSM on the seafloor and in the water column are all encouraged. We welcome contributions from basic and solutions-based science communities. The main goal of this session is to synthesize current understanding of DSM’s environmental impacts, identify existing knowledge gaps and research challenges, and foster discussion of new directions and collaborative opportunities for future research on the effects of DSM on the ocean environment.

Co-Sponsor(s):
  • Contaminants in the Marine Environment -
  • Deep Sea Exploration -
  • Marine Ecology and Biodiversity -
Index Terms:

3022 Marine sediments: processes and transport [MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS]
4804 Benthic processes, benthos [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
4805 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling [OCEANOGRAPHY: CHEMICAL]
4815 Ecosystems, structure, dynamics, and modeling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
Student/Early Career Chair:  Cara James, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Primary Chair:  Yang Xiang, Louisiana State University, Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Baton Rouge, United States
Co-chairs:  Katlin Bowman Adamczyk, United States Geological Survey, Global Marine Minerals, Santa Cruz, United States, Jessica N Fitzsimmons, Texas A&M University College Station, Oceanography, College Station, United States and Shelby Gunnells, Texas A&M University, Chemical Oceanography, College Station, United States
 
Mineralogical and Elemental Characterization of Pre-Mining Geochemical Conditions from Various Geoforms and Habitat Types in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (1853418)
Jackson Wheat1, Patrick Schwing2, Rebekka Larson3, Gregg Brooks2, Bryan J O'Malley2, Mr. Daniel Rivera2, Milena Lynch2 and Thea Rind4, (1)Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, United States, (2)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States, (3)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, United States, (4)Eckerd College, Saint Petersburg, United States
 
A tale of two tracks: Immediate, annual, and decadal-scale impacts and recovery of benthic foraminifera from the recent NORI nodule mining test (2022) and the legacy OMCO nodule mining test (1979) (1866123)
Bryan J O'Malley1, Bethany Fleming2, Maria Belen Arias3, Rafael Quiambao4, Jenna Schell5, Patrick Schwing1, David Durieux4, Tristan Lam6, Loic Van Audenhaege7, Leigh Marsh8, Daniel OB Jones9, Adrian Glover3 and Andrew J Gooday9, (1)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States, (2)National Oceanography Center, Soton, Southampton, United Kingdom, (3)Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, (4)Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, United States, (5)Eckerd College, St Petersburg, United States, (6)Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, United States, (7)National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, (8)NA, Bristol, United Kingdom, (9)National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom
 
Establishing comprehensive geochemical baselines from various geological settings in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (1872680)
Patrick T Schwing1, Bryan J O'Malley1, Mr. Daniel Rivera1, Isabella Iannotta2, Jackson Wheat3, Milena Lynch1, Josef Flieg3, Abby Malatia3, Breann Galliher3, Rebekka Larson4 and Gregg Brooks1, (1)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States, (2)University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Marine Science, St Petersburg, United States, (3)Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, United States, (4)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
 
Beyond the Plains – Deep-sea Mining of Polymetallic Nodules On and Around Seamounts (2008021)
Heidi Gartner1, Cherisse Du Preez1, Verena Tunnicliffe2, Sheryl Murdock3, Rayne Boyko4, Skil Jáada (Haida Name doesn't fit last name first name format)4 and Rachel M Lauer5, (1)Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Deep-Sea Ecology Program, Sidney, BC, Canada, (2)University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada, (3)Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, (4)Council of the Haida Nation, Daajing Giids, Canada, (5)Rachel Lauer, Calgary, AB, Canada
 
No Stone Left Unturned: Preliminary results of the impact of a recent disturbance experiment on polymetallic nodule meiofaunal communities in a mining claim area of the Clarion Clipperton Zone (2009852)
Ailish Ullmann, Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand, Ashley Alun Rowden, National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand, Daniel Leduc, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand and Daniela Zeppilli, IFREMER, Biologie et Ecologie des Ecosystèmes Marins Profonds (BEEP), Plouzané, France
 
Impacts of an industrial deep-sea mining trial on seafloor biodiversity (2013552)
Eva Stewart1, Helena Wiklund2, Lenka Neal1, Guadalupe Bribiesca Contreras3, Regan Drennan1, Corie Boolukos4, Lucas King5, Muriel Rabone1, Georgina Valls Domedel3, Amanda Serpell-Stevens3, Maria Belen Arias1, Thomas Dahlgren2, Tammy Horton3 and Adrian Glover1, (1)Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, (2)University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, (3)National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom, (4)University College Cork, Geography Department, Cork, Ireland, (5)University College London, London, United Kingdom
 
Evaluating Deep-Sea Mining’s Footprint and Impacts on High Seas Fisheries Using Spatial Data (2016752)
Gabriella Berman, MS, JD1, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez1, Jessica Owley2 and Kenneth Broad1, (1)University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, Miami, United States, (2)University of Miami, School of Law, Miami, United States
 
Disruptions to Midwater Food Webs from Deep-Sea Mining Discharge (2020913)
Michael Dowd1, Victoria Assad1, Alexus E. Cazares1, Jeffrey Drazen1, Erica Goetze1, Angelicque E White1 and Brian N Popp2, (1)University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Department of Oceanography, Honolulu, United States, (2)University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Department of Earth Sciences, Honolulu, United States
 
Spatiotemporal Characterization of Sedimentary Phytopigments in the Southeastern Clarion Clipperton Zone: Establishing Baselines and Assessing Deep-Sea Mining Impacts (2020967)
Isabella Iannotta1, Patrick Schwing2 and Bryan J O'Malley2, (1)University of South Florida Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States, (2)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States
 
Effects of long-term disturbance on organic matter quality in the Clarion Clipperton zone. (2023966)
Rachel Jeffreys, University of Liverpool, Liuverpool, UNITED KINGDOM, Louisa Norman, University of Liverpool, Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Sabena Blackbird, University of Liverpool, School of Environmental Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Adrian Glover, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom and Daniel OB Jones, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom
 
Assessing the impacts of deep sea mining on seafloor biogeochemistry in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (2025557)
Dr. Alastair J.M. Lough1, William B Homoky2, Sabena Blackbird3, Stephen Reid2, Santiago J Clerici1, Ann G Dunlea4, Andrew Sweetman5, Johan Faust6, Rachel Jeffreys7, Andrew M Mair8, George A Wolff7 and Clare Woulds9, (1)University of Leeds, School of Geography, Leeds, United Kingdom, (2)University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, (3)University of Liverpool, School of Environmental Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (4)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, (5)Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, United Kingdom, (6)MARUM - University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, (7)University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (8)University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, Leeds, United Kingdom, (9)University of Leeds, School of Geography, United Kingdom
 
The composition and dispersal of dissolved and particulate elements in deep-sea mining plumes during pilot mining trials (2028499)
Shelby Gunnells, Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, United States, Peter L Morton, Texas A&M University College Station, Oceanography, College Station, TX, United States, Cameron Stacey, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States, Isabelle Boysen, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, United States, Mariko Hatta, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, United States, Iris Kübler-Dudgeon, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, United States, Katlin Bowman Adamczyk, United States Geological Survey, Global Marine Minerals, Santa Cruz, United States, Charles Larrouilh, Texas A&M University, Oceanography, College Station, United States, Jake Toczek, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, United States, Jameal L Magno, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Jessica N Fitzsimmons, Texas A&M University College Station, Oceanography, College Station, United States
 
Trade-offs in deep-sea mining plumes: effects of sediment concentration and release turbulence (2029983)
Mark Jellinek, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Cara James, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
 
How do we identify the best available technologies for monitoring deep-sea mining impacts? (2030033)
Cara James, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Mark Jellinek, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
 
Fragile forms: Exploring gelatinous zooplankton biodiversity in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (2032837)
Lauryn Pisciotto, Alexus E. Cazares, Gabrielle Ellis, Jeffrey Drazen and Erica Goetze, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Department of Oceanography, Honolulu, United States
 
Occurrence and Distribution of Natural Radionuclides in Coastal Sediments of Southwestern Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea: Implications for Radiological Hazards (2034298)
Dr. Olubunmi Olubunmi Nubi, PhD and Samuel Olatunde Popoola, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Physical and Chemical Oceanography Department, Lagos, Nigeria
 
Ecotoxicological effects of deep-sea mining in a polymetallic nodules field in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (2035562)
Nelia Mestre1, Pasqualina Gaetano1, Juliano M Vilke1, Leandro T Marinho1, Santiago Correia1, Carmen Sousa1, Joana Raimundo2,3, Miguel Caetano2,3 and Katja Schmidt4, (1)CIMA-ARNET, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, (2)Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Lisboa, Portugal, (3)Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Porto, Portugal, (4)BGR Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover, Germany
 
A Radioisotope Landscape Approach in Deep Sea Sediment Investigations (2035711)
Rebekka Larson1, Patrick Schwing2, Bryan J O'Malley2, Abby Malatia3, Gregg Brooks2 and Hannah Durkee2, (1)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, United States, (2)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States, (3)Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, United States
 
Knowledge Gaps and the Impact of Deep-sea Mining on Highly Migratory Species (2037558)
Andrew David Thaler, Blackbeard Biologic: Science and Environmental Advisors, Saint Michaels, United States
 
Assessing Deep-sea Biological Responses and Sensitivities to Mining Plumes (2038563)
Jesse van der Grient, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Netherlands, Daniel OB Jones, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom and Malcolm Clark, The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research NIWA, Wellington, New Zealand
 
A new autoradiographic technique for mapping natural radiation within polymetallic nodules (2038984)
Walter Geibert1, Daniel Mueller2, Dennis Köhler1 and Katrin Ederer3, (1)Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Marine Geochemistry, Bremerhaven, Germany, (2)Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Bremerhaven, Germany, (3)Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Scientific Workshops, Bremerhaven, Germany
 
Radiation chemistry in polymetallic nodules (2039188)
Daniel Mueller, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Bremerhaven, Germany and Walter Geibert, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Marine Geochemistry, Bremerhaven, Germany
 
Assessing the Spatial and Temporal Scales of Mid-Water Dissolved Metal Plumes Generated from Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining (2040515)
Joaquim Bento1, Pablo Cornejo2, Adolfo Bahamonde3, Sebastián Gallardo3, Álvaro Maricahuin3, Patrick Downes4, Solomon Udochi5, Felipe Sales de Freitas6, Leigh Marsh7, Alexander Webber6, Tami Haase4 and Michael Clarke4, (1)The Metals Company, Vina del Mar, Chile, (2)MSET ; Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Concepción, Concepcion, Chile, (3)MSET, Concepcion, Chile, (4)The Metals Company, Gold Coast, Australia, (5)The Metals Company, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (6)The Metals Company, Bristol, United Kingdom, (7)NA, Bristol, United Kingdom
 
Utilizing X-Ray Diffraction and Fluorescence to Quantify Mineralogical and Elemental Changes in Sediment Composition Following a Fully-Integrated Nodule Mining Test in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (2042876)
Mr. Daniel Rivera1, Patrick Schwing1, Alexander Webber2 and Bryan J O'Malley1, (1)Eckerd College, Marine Science, St. Petersburg, United States, (2)The Metals Company, Bristol, United Kingdom
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