What are polymetallic nodules?
Polymetallic nodules are a newfound hot spot for economists around the globe at the moment. Why? About the size of a potato and sitting on the bottom of the seafloor, these nodules hold a large amount of important minerals all collected in one area. These nodules, also called manganese nodules, hold a range of different rare earth metals such as iron, copper, cobalt, and of course manganese. Areas that have a large amount of manganese nodules have been considered by nations around the globe for deep-sea mining, including the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean which is a big contender at the moment.
What are the benefits of deep-sea mining?
Copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese are important metals for many different technological devices. While demand is ever-growing, the production of these materials is limited to the amount of these metals we can extract because they are more rare than the other components. Metal companies are already interested in deep-sea mining, investing lots of money into research and machinery in order to make this happen. One of the challenges for these companies is the lack of efficient technology to extract these minerals. Deep-sea mining would give investors incentive to put more money towards deep sea exploration and the different vehicles and technology to help do so. This has been a hurdle for many researchers trying to explore the deep-sea for decades. Other benefits include the easement of extraction from terrestrial land which has already taken a big toll from mining operations. It would also ease geopolitical tensions from countries relying on others for resources, as well as stimulating the economy of these countries.
What are the negative effects of deep-sea mining
Naturally the deep sea is a relatively stable and untouched environment with a lot of unique inhabitants. The crawlers and other equipment that would be used to dig up these rocks, will disturb the sea floor for hundreds of kilometers, bringing up large plums of debris with them. These particles will be uplifted and can travel miles along the connected ocean currents bringing dissolved particles and freed heavy metals. These metals can be toxic to the nearby fish if inhaled, while the nutrients dug up from the dredging can bring possible future harmful algae blooms. The turbidity of the surrounding areas will increase changing light penetration levels, leaving any photosynthesizing species in trouble, but also making it harder for organisms who rely on eyesight to see others. On top of that, these nodules are a habitat to rare deep-sea organisms. When studied, it was found that the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, has thousands of faunae that are unique to this environment, many of which are newly found species. There is already such little information on deep-sea fauna, and with human activity interfering with the local ecology, these ecosystems may never return to the way they were before; therefore, we would never be able to fully learn about these organisms in their natural environment. The impacts of mining on the sea floor will take ages to undo, if they aren’t already irreversible. There are also a number of other effects, such as release of CO2 into the atmosphere, noise pollution, loss of endangered species, and so forth. The list goes on.
Will it happen anyways?
In the end, there are already multiple countries who have expressed interest the mining of the sea floor. Agreements have already been signed, and companies are already being made with the purpose of benefitting off of these metals. There is an organization made under the 1982 UNCLOS agreement called the International Seabed Authority (ISA), whose purpose is to regulate and come up with policies in regard to the deep sea and mining operations. If there is indeed no way to stop these companies from dredging up the polymetallic nodules, then the next best course of action would be to research the best ways to minimize possible damage done to these environments and regulate these activities the best we can.