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Over a Third of Animals Impacted in Deep Sea Mining Test - Scientists
A five-year study in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone found a 37% drop in seafloor animal abundance and a 32% decline in species diversity due to deep-sea mining, researchers said.
- On December 5, researchers reported a 37% decline in sediment-dwelling invertebrates in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone between Hawaii and Mexico, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.
- Demand for nickel and cobalt is driving deep-sea mining as the Clarion–Clipperton Zone holds 46 trillion pounds of mineral nodules, and The Metals Company has spent $250 million on research.
- Over five years, the team logged more than 160 days at sea across four expeditions, collecting 80 seabed samples about 14,000 feet deep and cataloging 4,350 sediment macrofauna and 788 identified species.
- Greenpeace International called for a global moratorium and urged protections, while nearly 40 countries demand a pause or ban; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reviews permits and the International Seabed Authority has not approved mining.
- Because past tests show decades-long biodiversity loss, the UN high-seas treaty set for January 2026 could influence future deep-sea mining regulations, as Norway paused licenses on Dec 3 and the U.S. proposes expanding areas around American Samoa.
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perspectivemedia.com
perspectivemedia.comSeafloor animals down by 37% in deep-sea mining zone, landmark study finds
The study is thought to be the largest yet into the impacts of deep-sea mining mining on seafloor animals.
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 22%
C 67%
11%
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