What can science tell us about deep-sea mining?

As a leading authority in mining practices and investments, Ron Phillips continuously explores the evolution of mining practices around the world. In this blog, he shares what science can tell us about deep-sea mining and the challenges of its sustainability.

Limited scientific exploration has already provided enough information to guarantee that the ocean’s vast unexplored spaces house many metals and critical minerals needed for human technological advancement and development. Because these resources are deep underwater, they generally remain unmeasured and untouched.

These resources are emmeshed in complex and fragile but often thriving oceanic habitats. Humanity needs to balance its demand for resources against the diversity of life in the oceans and the near certainty that deep sea mining with disrupt fragile ecosystems.

On the one hand, technological advancement required to advance electrification and clean energy requires ever increasing supplies of critical minerals that may only be available in large quantities from the ocean depths. On the other hand, mining in little understood oceanic habitats can have unanticipated consequences.

The deep ocean clearly provides an opportunity to mine for metals like nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper. Scientific studies have found that these metals are especially abundant in polymetallic nodules, but that these nodules are in deep ocean habitats frequented by virtually unknown creatures.

Is it possible to mine deep sea metallic nodules without disrupting ocean life? Is limited deep ocean disruption a small price to pay for critical minerals and less disruption of the earths surface from strip mining?

Scientists and politicians must find the proper compromises between the two polarizing forces, which has inspired the search for methods that allow the world to benefit from the ocean's resources without harming its biodiversity.

Ron Phillips reaches out to his audience through his blogs that discuss the mining industry's current issues and developmental opportunities within the industry. For more on his work, please visit this page.