Science | Impacts of metal mining on river systems: a global assessment

M. G. Macklin , C. J. Thomas , A. Mudbhatkal , P. A. Brewer , K. A. Hudson-Edwards , J. Lewin , P. Scussolini , D. Eilander , A. Lechner , J. Owen , G. Bird, D. Kemp, and K. R. Mangalaa Abstract An estimated 23 million people live on floodplains affected by potentially dangerous concentrations of toxic waste derived from past and present metal mining activity. We analyzed the global dimensions of this hazard, particularly in regard to lead, zinc, copper, and arsenic, using a georeferenced global database detailing … Read more

Current Biology | How many metazoan species live in the world’s largest mineral exploration region?

Joris H. Wiethase, Erik Simon-Lledó, Aidan M. Emery, Daniel O.B. Jones, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras, Helena Wiklund, Tammy Horton, and Adrian G. Glover Abstract The global surge in demand for metals such as cobalt and nickel has created unprecedented interest in deepsea habitats with mineral resources. The largest area of activity is a 6 … Read more

Journal of Industrial Ecology | Deep-sea nodules versus land ores: A comparative systems analysis of mining and processing wastes for battery -metal supply chains

Daina Paulikas, Steven Katona, Erika Ilves, Saleem H. Ali Abstract To meet UN Sustainable Development goals, a clean-energy transition with minimal ecological impact from its raw-material supply chain is essential. Polymetallic nodules lying unattached on the abyssal seafloor of the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion Clipperton Zone contain four critical metals (nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper) in large quantities, and the … Read more

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence | TMC NORI-D Life Cycle Assessment for polymetallic nodule project and comparison to key land-based routes

Abstract The Metals Company (TMC) has commissioned Benchmark Minerals Intelligence (Benchmark) to model the environmental performance ofproducing critical minerals from polymetallic nodules found on the seafloor of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), in the Pacific Ocean.This is a three-part study: This attributional LCA is third party verified and ISO compliant under ISO standards 14040 & 14044. … Read more

Science Advances | An in situ study of abyssal turbidity-current sediment plumes generated by a deep seabed polymetallic nodule mining preprototype collector vehicle

Carlos Muñoz-Royo, Raphael Ouillon, Souha El Mousadik, Matthew H. Alford, AND Thomas Peacock Abstract An in situ study to investigate the dynamics of sediment plumes near the release from a deep seabed polymetallic nodule mining preprototype collector vehicle was conducted in the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean 4500-m deep. The experiments reveal that the excess density of the released sediment-laden water leads … Read more

Cook Islands National Heritage Trust | Will nodule mining destroy our deep sea ecosystem services?

Gerald McCormack, Natural Heritage Trust Abstract In an article concerning the possibility of seabed nodule mining in the Cook Islands (Cook Islands News 27 March), Te Ipukarea Society wrote “We are confident that further research will show that the goods and services that the ocean provides humanity are actually worth many times more than what … Read more

World Bank | Minerals for Climate Action: the Mineral Intensity of the Clean Energy Transition

CLIMATE-SMART MINING FACILITY: Kirsten Hund, Daniele La Porta, Thao P. Fabregas, Tim Laing, John Drexhage Key Points A low-carbon future will be very mineral intensive because clean energy technologies need more materials than fossil-fuel-based electricity generation technologies. Greater ambition on climate change goals (1.50C–20C or below), as outlined by the Paris Agreement,requires installing more of … Read more

Scars in the abyss: reconstructing sequence, location and temporal change of the 78 plough tracks of the 1989 DISCOL deep-sea disturbance experiment in the Peru Basin

Florian Gausepohl, Anne Hennke, Timm Schoening, Kevin Köser, and Jens Greinert Abstract High-resolution optical and hydro-acoustic sea floor data acquired in 2015 enabled the reconstruction and exact localization of disturbance tracks of a past deep-sea recolonization experiment (DISCOL) that was conducted in 1989 in the Peru Basin during a German environmental impact study associated with manganese-nodule mining. Based on this … Read more

Plos One | Biological responses to disturbance from simulated deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining

Daniel O. B. Jones , Stefanie Kaiser, Andrew K. Sweetman, Craig R. Smith, Lenaick Menot, Annemiek Vink, Dwight Trueblood, Jens Greinert, David S. M. Billett, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, Teresa Radziejewska, Ravail Singh, Baban Ingole, Tanja Stratmann, Erik Simon-Lledó, Jennifer M. Durden, Malcolm R. Clark Abstract Commercial-scale mining for polymetallic nodules could have a major impact on … Read more