Janine Krippner
It is astounding how quickly our technology has advanced in recent years. This is a topic I love chatting with Dad about over breakfast. We rapidly went from horses and carts to cars, and now households often have more than one. The industrial age took off, and hydrocarbon products like oil became central to machinery, transportation, and a plethora of products that most of us aren’t aware of.
Janine Krippner
Advancing computer power and battery technology increases demand for materials formed deep below our planet’s surface. Many of these require mining, and the various levels of care involved often raise difficult and important ethical and environmental questions.
We all benefit from these technologies, including through transport, food production, and life-saving medical advancements. We also know that damage has been done in the process. It is not an inherently evil system, but a complex one, which we must continue to do better as a species.
One issue we may hear more about in the future is the proposed mining of seafloor minerals. So, what are they?
One example is polymetallic nodules, or manganese nodules. These are rock-like concretions containing elements such as iron, manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt, and molybdenum. Ferromanganese nodules can also include silicates alongside iron and manganese. In simple terms, they are naturally occurring mineral accumulations that underpin technologies modern societies increasingly rely on.
These nodules often resemble metal balls, typically around 2-8 cm across, reaching 20cm. Nodules can be less round and more complex shapes, and crusts can form over other surfaces like rocks.
Polymetallic nodules form on the ocean floor, generally at depths of 3500–6000 m. These extreme depths are technically challenging to work in, and there is still a great deal we do not understand about deep-ocean ecosystems.
They are also ancient. These nodules grow slowly, taking millions of years to form.
The International Seabed Authority is mandated to “organise and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area for the benefit of humankind as a whole.” The “Area” refers to international seabed regions beyond national jurisdiction, covering roughly 54 per cent of the ocean floor. Many countries are members of this body, including us, and its work and responsibilities are publicly documented.
Research is underway on the impacts of mining this resource, and so far, the impacts are, unsurprisingly, concerning. Limited results indicate test mining impacts can persist over decades. It is important to note that much of this evidence comes from early experimental retrieval methods, and I am not up to date on whether newer approaches reduce these impacts.
As with any activity that affects our planet, there is still much to learn about how human actions damage land and seafloor environments, and the life they support. My hope is that sufficient time and care are taken to ensure that, if this is a path we choose, it is pursued with respect, understanding, and responsibility. Given that much of this activity would occur in international waters, this also means applying these values across nations, including those with less political and economic power.
