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Very little is known about deep sea ecosystems or the potential impacts of deep-sea mining. Polymetallic nodule fields are hotspots of abundance and diversity for a highly vulnerable abyssal fauna, much of which lives attached to nodules or in the sediment immediately beneath it.
Except the promise of deep sea mining may carry an environmental price. Proponents say that harvesting these nodules for use in renewables will help the world transition from fossil fuels.
Polymetallic nodules on the deep seabed in the CCZ Example of manganese nodule that can be found on the sea floor. Polymetallic nodules are found at depths of 4–6 km (2.5–3.7 mi) in all major oceans, but also in shallow waters like the Baltic Sea and in freshwater lakes. [23] [24] They are the most readily minable type of deep sea ore. [25]
The production of oxygen at the seafloor by polymetallic nodules is a new ecosystem function that needs to be considered when assessing the impact of deep-sea mining.
The increasing tests in the region have led to the discovery of many new species, suggesting both a high species richness and high species rarity within the CCZ. It seems that polymetallic nodules in the region, the target of much deep-sea mining, are crucial for fostering a high level of biodiversity on the sea floor. Even so, there are many ...
The seafloor, especially in parts of the Pacific Ocean, is covered by potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules that are filled with metals used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric ...
The deep sea is much more economical than land based sources as metal ores on land yield below 20%, often using less than 2%, whilst seabed nodules are 99% usable minerals. [ 15 ] There is also a reduced social cost to the nations with seabed deposits compared to nations with land-based mines, as sea bed mining has little cost on human life due ...
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