First Deep-Sea Mining Company Asks Trump for International Permit
;s oceans."The industry's financial models are based on wildly optimistic assumptions and fail to reflect the volatility and reality of global mineral markets," said Representative Maxine Dexter, an Oregon Democrat.Privately-held Impossible Metals, which has asked Washington to auction American Samoa's minerals, told the hearing it had no plans to operate without conducting more environmental testing.An engineering expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told the hearing the effects of deep-sea mining may not be as severe as some people have speculated but added the practice
Trump Order Fast Tracks Subsea Mining
territorial waters, roughly up to 200 nautical miles from shore, and companies are already lining up to mine U.S. waters.Impossible Metals earlier this month asked the administration to launch a commercial auction for access to deposits of nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals off the coast of American Samoa.Shares of The Metals Company - among the most prominent of deep-sea mining companies - rose on Thursday by roughly 40% to hit a 52-week high of $3.39 per share after the Reuters report earlier in the day on the executive order."With a stable, transparent, and enforceable regulatory pathway
Impossible Metals Seeks Mining Lease Near American Samoa
Deep-sea mining firm Impossible Metals said on Tuesday that it has asked U.S. federal officials to launch a commercial auction for access to deposits of nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals off the coast of American Samoa.The waters around the Pacific Ocean territory are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics.The request from privately held Impossible Metals asks the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management - which oversees mineral deposits in
NOAA Reveals Names of its New Mapping Vessels
and Bering Sea, playing a key role in ocean surveying. Surveyor Bay in Alaska was named in recognition of its contributions during surveys conducted in 1936. The second Surveyor served from 1960 to 1995, conducting hydrographic surveys across diverse locations, from Alaska’s Norton Sound to American Samoa.Both the Surveyor and Navigator will be built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Houma, La., with completion expected in 2027 and 2028. The contract includes options for up to two more vesselsThe vessels are primarily designed for ocean mapping and nautical charting, furthering NOAA’s
AAM Launches 50’ Research Vessel for NOAA
, and we are always excited to work with this essential agency. The Office of Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of marine protected areas encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa.”(Photo: All American Marine)On board the vessel there is approximately 250 square feet of working space on the aft deck, with a complete complement of working gear and an extensive grid of deck sockets. The deck sockets are spaced every two feet and allow equipment and gear to be secured
Record-sized Coral Colony Discovered in American Samoa
A new record size coral colony at Ta’u Island in American Samoa identified by NOAA-funded researchers is said to be even larger than the island’s Big Momma colony, one of the largest in the world.The colony was measured and described during a monitoring survey conducted by a multi-agency team including NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS), American Samoa’s Coral Reef Advisory Group, American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and the National Park of American Samoa, and funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The
More Than $5.9 Mln Invested in Marine Debris Cleanup Projects
, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Texas. The grantees will implement locally based, cost-effective activities to remove marine debris, including derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris.Approximately $1.4 million will support 13 marine debris prevention projects in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. These projects will provide the knowledge and resources necessary to change behaviors, raise awareness and promote the long-term prevention of marine debris.Marine debris is not only a threat
New Study Tracks Trash Found at the Ocean's Depths
and Research, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs)Metal, glass, plastic, rubber, cloth, fishing gear and other debris were encountered during 17.5% of the 188 dives reviewed, at depths between 150 and 6,000 meters. While this percentage may seem low, in some areas such as off American Samoa, the densities of debris were as high as 196-1,961 items per square kilometer. This patchy distribution is likely influenced by depth, geological features such as seamounts, the proximity to areas with dense human populations, and past conflict in the region, with 5.2% of debris observed consisting
NASA Asks Gamers, Citizen Scientists to Help Map World's Corals
originally developed to look at stars, these "fluid-lensing" cameras use complex calculations to undo the optical distortions created by the water over coral reefs.NASA has deployed these instruments – mounted on drones or aircraft – on expeditions to Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and elsewhere to collect 3D images of the ocean floor, including corals, algae and seagrass. However, the data alone do not tell the whole story of what's happening to the corals beneath the waves, which is why NASA needs help.Enter NeMO-Net, a video game in which players identify and classify
February 2025
