MINING IMPACT II

In the last decade, there has been growing global attention toward the deep-sea mining industry. This is due to the increasing demand for metals and rare earth elements, of which large quantities and high concentrations can be found in certain marine deposits, such as poly-metallic nodules, within abyssal provinces. OD Nature is studying mining impact with a multidisciplinary approach. The MARECO and Freshwater Biology teams have participated in expeditions to the Pacific i.e., Clarion-Clipperton fracture Zone (CCZ) and Discol experimental area (DEA), collating geographic, abiotic and time-series data, and focussing on the biogeography and genetic connectivity of scavenging Amphipoda (Crustacea).

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Partners: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – SUMO team (BE, studying abiotic effects of deep-sea mining such as suspended matter and sedimentology), Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar & Marine Research (AWI), Bielefeld University (DE), Centre for applied research at NHH (NO), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (DE), GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE; coordinator), Ghent University (BE), DNVGL (NO), Institute of Marine Research (PT), Ifremer (FR), Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (PT), Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (PT), International Seabed Authority (JM), Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH (DE), MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Science, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (DE), Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NO), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO), Polytechnic University of Marche (IT), Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NL), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (DE), Uni Research (NO), UNEP GRID-Arendal (NO), Universidade de Aveiro (PT), Universidade do Algarve (PT), Kiel University (DE), University of Łódź (PL), University of Southampton (UK), Utrecht University (NL), Delft University of Technology (NL)