July 31, 2024

Monique Nguyen 

11th Grade

Fountain Valley High School 

There are diamonds in the rough, but what about diamonds in the sea? Seabed mining aims to extract precious underwater minerals as an alternative option to terrestrial mining. To do so, vehicles will rummage the seafloor to find and retrieve mineral deposits such as polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulfides, and cobalt crusts, which would be brought to the surface for extraction. Deep-sea mining allows access to a world of underwater resources and information for future global development, covering a gap that terrestrial deposits cannot solely fulfill. However, this new type of mining poses several threats to numerous fragile ecosystems and species that lay previously undisturbed in the deep ocean. 

Polymetallic nodules are typically found at the abysmal plains, formed over millions of years through precipitation from seawater. In this process, metals are formed as minerals precipitate from seawater that was discharged from Earth’s crust. Polymetallic sulfides are formed through hydrothermal activity and are typically found at tectonic plate boundaries near active volcano arcs and mid-ocean ridges. Both polymetallic sulfides and cobalt crusts are also formed through the process of precipitation of minerals from seawater, which resulted in the black plumes commonly seen at deep-sea hydrothermal vents as polymetallic sulfides formed. Cobalt crusts are usually found near and on top of seamounts between 400 and 7,000 meters deep. All of these deposits yield a plethora of minerals like nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, copper, zinc, and other rare minerals needed to build new technology. 

Deep sea mining has several potential reserves of crucial minerals needed for the global transition to clean energy, especially as landmines have been becoming more difficult to locate in a quickly developing world. Resources would go into zero-carbon technologies like that of battery construction, wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles. Through technological advancement and mining itself, more jobs are created, fostering economic growth and innovative opportunities especially for coastal countries, most of which are developing. The problems of terrestrial mining such as freshwater pollution, labor abuse, deforestation, and carbon emissions from the soil are predicted to decrease from this underwater substitution as well; not to say that seabed mining doesn’t have its own problems!

There is extremely limited scientific knowledge about the deep sea environment, so proceeding with seabed mining could cause substantial damage to the marine environment for decades and destroy a wealth of knowledge. For one, it could disrupt habitats like hydrothermal vents and seamounts, potentially causing extinctions and unsettling fragile ecosystems. Deep sea mining can also cause sediment plumes, which are extended plumes of suspended sediment particles and minerals that could be toxic to adjacent marine life. This process would also disturb the ocean’s carbon cycling and storage system, which is vital in minimizing the effects of climate change. The very presence of mining in a dark environment poses a threat to marine biota through sound and light pollution as well, especially with the rise and transport system. Hydraulic leaks may occur, further polluting the ocean across all levels. 

Hotspots for deep sea exploitation are the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, the Central Indian Ocean Basin, and the exclusive economic zones of Kiribati and the Cook Islands. But officially, seabed mining has not yet begun in international waters, meaning countries can only exploit national waters in their jurisdiction. Although some countries do exploit their exclusive economic zones, proceeding internationally is a hot debate topic because of the many benefits and disadvantages. Large proponents seek to advance economically and technologically while opponents have called for a deep-sea mining moratorium in concern for the environment. Will countries find a way to minimize the effects of seabed mining and proceed internationally or will they keep the moratorium and even permanently ban the topic in the future?