Deep-sea Mining Threatens “Twilight Zone” Ecosystem
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).“Micronekton, small shrimp, fish and other animals that swim, feed on zooplankton. Some migrate between the depths and near surface waters and they are consumed by fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Zooplankton’s exposure to junk food sediment has the potential to disrupt the entire food web.”The study examined the content and effects of mining waste released during a 2022 mining trial in the midwater CCZ, an expansive area of the Pacific Ocean targeted for the extraction of deep-sea polymetallic nodules, which contain critical
PML Study Finds Tire Microplastics Impact Estuarine Animals
antioxidants, designed to increase tire longevity, reduce road resistance, and protect from UV damage. These tire particles – smaller than 5 mm – are released onto highways, verges and the air, with rainfall and runoff washing them into rivers and estuaries, where they can settle into sediments or remain suspended in the water. Studies have discovered high abundances of tire particles in intertidal estuaries – making up 73% of detected microplastics.While tire particles were first recognized as pollutants in the 1970s, they have received surprisingly little attention until recently
Seabed Mining Could Significantly Impact Benthic Boundary Ecosystem
before they settle on the seafloor. The research highlights the complex behavior of animals across their life cycles, and the connectedness of the deep ocean more broadly.“In the event of deep-sea mining, the organisms in this region will be impacted via ambient water removal and the generation of sediment plumes that interfere with feeding, in addition to the removal of nodules, which will effectively remove the settling habitat for larvae, likely leading to further declines in local recruitment,” said Erica Goetze, study co-author and oceanography professor. Goetze and Craig R. Smith, co-author
Novel Hydrothermal System Links Two Seabed Phenomena
meters on a flank of Conical Seamount in the western Pacific, off the island of Lihir in Papua New Guinea.Hydrothermal vents and methane seeps usually occur in different places on the seabed. In this case, however, they are in close proximity due to the unique geology of Conical Seamount, where thick sediment layers containing organic material lie beneath the volcanic structure. Ascending magma heats these layers, generating methane and other hydrocarbons. At the same time, this magmatic heat also drives mineral-rich fluids upwards, where they emerge as hot vents at the seabed.Both fluids – the
Barrels of Caustic Waste Found Off California
wastes, chemical wastes, refuse and garbage, military explosives and radioactive wastes, according to the EPA.A pair of Scripps-led seafloor surveys in 2021 and 2023 identified thousands of objects, including hundreds of discarded military munitions. The number of barrels on the seafloor remains unknown.Sediments in the area are heavily contaminated with the pesticide DDT, a chemical banned in 1972 now known to harm humans and wildlife. Scant records from this time period suggest DDT waste was largely pumped directly into the ocean.Gutleben said she and her co-authors didn’t initially set out to solve
Viridien Kicks Off Seismic Imaging for Utsira North OBN Survey
, including the latest proprietary time-lag full-waveform inversion (TLFWI) technology, to deliver unprecedented seismic images of this region.As a result, Utsira North OBN will enhance resolution of the region’s complex geological intervals, illuminating how deep-seated faults help dictate sediment distribution and, in turn, clarifying the presence of reservoir facies and prospective new targets, according to Viridien.“Viridien’s imaging and licensing of the Utsira North OBN multi-client data reaffirms our long-term commitment to the NCS and our technological leadership in the
Oceanology International Returns to 2026 ExCeL Conference
;s ocean engineering, technology and science communities from more than 80 countries.COAST will further enhance the traditionally diverse Oceanology International (Oi) program, across both the exhibition and conference, by highlighting breakthrough developments in coastal protection, erosion control, sediment transport analysis, shoreline stabilization, and climate adaptation that support sustainable coastal development and ecosystem protection.Awarded the title of RX UK Show of the Year in 2024, the next edition in the 55-year history of the biennial event will demonstrate how Oi continues to evolve
Nortek Launches Generation 2 Vector Velocimeter
processing improve the instrument’s precision for agiven power consumption, making longer deployments possible on the same amount ofbattery power.A short-range echosounder has also been added, enabling users to image structures in thewater column. This is especially useful to those investigating sediment transport or changesin bottom morphology
Seabed Mining: Defining Serious Harm
a Mining Code which aims to prevent “serious harm” to the environment. However, there is currently no agreed operational definition of the term.The researchers considered factors such as the areas of seabed disturbed directly by the mining footprint of nodule extraction, disturbance from the sediment plumes created by nodule collectors near the seabed or in the water column, release of chemicals from the seabed and discharge of the processing waste into the water column.They also considered life-history characteristics of the organisms potentially affected, including features such as the potential
August 2025
