Impacts of Deep Sea Mining
By Shawn O'Hara
What is it?
Deep sea mining is a relatively new process of extracting minerals and ore using unmanned ROVs at the very bottom of the ocean. This is a new process that has been discovered in the past 55 years.
Where is it occurring?
Popular locations of deep sea mining include Papua New Guinea and Iceland. It occurs at the deepest depths around large mineral deposits on the bottom.
Event Information
Start Of Deep Sea Mining
Experimental deep sea mining took place
When?
Wednesday, Jun 1, 1960, 12:00 AM
Where?
The Atlantic Ocean
Who is involved?
The companies in The United State, France, Germany, Japan, China, Korea and India, showed interest in finding minerals in the deep sea. Many different companies expressed interest in collecting these deep sea pockets.
Why is it an issue?
They have the possibility of damaging hydro-thermal vents that are millions of years old. There is also evidence that the process of mining increases the level of how toxic the water is over time.
Some researchers also feel that deep sea mining disrupts and destroys the habitat of certain deep sea organisms. Mining the oceans produces several billion tons of minerals a year.
Sources
http://www.whoi.edu/main/topic/seafloor-mining
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-25/concerns-for-sea-life-near-png-deep-sea-mining-project/5695644
http://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/Tapping-The-Oceans-Mineral-Wealth-With-Deep-Sea-Mining.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v470/n7332/full/470031a.html