Getting to the bottom of things: Can mining the deep sea be sustainable?

Date: September 8, 2019

Source: The Conversation
Author: Anna Metaxas & Verena Tunnicliffe

It is completely dark, just above freezing cold and the pressure is crushing: this is the deep-sea floor. Food is very scarce in this huge region, yet a great diversity of animals have adapted to exploit and recycle resources and thrive within it.

As technology enabled us to penetrate deeper into the ocean in the past 50 years, we discovered extraordinary ecosystems: hydrothermal vents support lush communities of unique animals, seamounts foster coral and sponge forests and abyssal plains continue to yield biodiversity novelties.

Continue reading here.

Share this article:
Posted on Categories MiningTags