Ecosystem Approach for the Management of Deep-Sea Mining Activities

2019 ◽  
pp. 381-402
Author(s):  
Roland Cormier
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Mining Activities

scholarly journals Do we have enough information to apply the ecosystem approach to management of deep-sea fisheries? An example from the West of Scotland

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna J. Heymans ◽  
Kerry L. Howell ◽  
Morag Ayers ◽  
Michael T. Burrows ◽  
John D. M. Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
The West ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Relative Paucity ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Fisheries Interactions

Abstract Heymans, J. J., Howell, K. L., Ayers, M., Burrows, M. T., Gordon, J. D. M., Jones, E. G., and Neat, F. 2011. Do we have enough information to apply the ecosystem approach to management of deep-sea fisheries? An example from the West of Scotland. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 265–280. There is currently a global call for more use of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM), and ecosystem models such as Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) are being used to provide a holistic view of ecosystem–fisheries interactions. Although these can be useful for an EAFM, the relative paucity of data available for deep-sea ecosystems raises concerns whether we can effectively apply an EAFM to the deep sea. The deep-sea ecosystem off the west coast of Scotland has been studied for longer and in more detail than most. This study assimilates the significant published and unpublished information available on this ecosystem into an EwE model. The results suggest that there are sufficient data available to construct an ecosystem model, but the quality of the data varies and serious potential sources of error are present in biomass and discard estimates. The assumptions needed to produce a model are varied and must be considered when interpreting the outputs of the model. Ecosystem modelling provides a unique view of the deep-water ecosystem and facilitates hypothesis development concerning predator–prey and inter-fishery interactions. Sharks are used to illustrate the benefits of using an ecosystem model to describe changes in their biomass and their prey species. The results show that both fishing for sharks and fishing for their prey affect the biomass of sharks.

Deep Sea Mining Partnerships with Developing States: Favourable Collaborations or Opportunistic Endeavours?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Klaas Willaert ◽  
Pradeep A Singh
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Recent Trend ◽  
The State ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Forum Shopping ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Mining Companies ◽  
Common Heritage Of Mankind ◽  
Realistic Possibility ◽  
The Common

Abstract In order to engage in deep sea mining activities on the international seabed (otherwise known as ‘the Area’), non-State actors must be sponsored by a State, which bears the responsibility to ensure that the sponsored entity complies with the applicable rules. Not only the State of nationality, but also the State which exercises ‘effective control’ might be required to serve as a sponsoring State, depending on the circumstances. However, it is not completely clear how ‘effective control’ should be interpreted. Forum shopping seems a realistic possibility, and the recent trend of partnerships between private deep sea mining companies and developing States can produce similar effects. These collaborations might be beneficial to both parties, but given the privileges awarded to developing States, it should be scrutinised as to whether such partnerships undermine the principle of the common heritage of mankind and the objective to realise benefits for mankind as a whole.

Progress on Regulations for Deep-Sea Mining Activities

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-224
Author(s):  
Tomme R. Young
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Mining Activities

Impact of simulated deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining on sediment and pore-water geochemistry in prospective mining areas in the NE Pacific Ocean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Volz ◽  
Laura Haffert ◽  
Matthias Haeckel ◽  
Andrea Koschinsky ◽  
Sabine Kasten
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Mining Equipment ◽  
Geochemical Conditions ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Ne Pacific

<p>Industrial-scale harvesting of deep-sea mineral resources, such as polymetallic nodules, is likely to have severe consequences for the natural environment. However, the effects of mining activities on deep‑sea ecosystems, sediment geochemistry and element fluxes are still poorly understood. Predicting the environmental impact is challenging due to the scarcity of environmental baseline studies and the lack of mining trials with industrial mining equipment in the deep sea. Thus, currently we have to rely on small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities as a first-order approximation to study the expected impacts on the abyssal environment and ecosystem.</p><p>We have investigated surface sediments in disturbance tracks of seven small-scale benthic impact experiments, which have been performed in four European contract areas for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the NE Pacific Ocean. These small-scale disturbance experiments were performed 1 day to 37 years prior to our sampling program in the German, Polish, Belgian and French contract areas using different disturbance devices, such as dredges and epibenthic sledges. We show that the depth distribution of solid-phase Mn in the upper 20 cm of the sediments in the CCZ provides a reliable tool for the determination of the disturbance depth. We found that the upper 5–15 cm of the sediments were removed during various small‑scale disturbance experiments in the different contract areas. Transient transport‑reaction modelling for the Polish and German contract areas reveals that the removal of the surface sediments is associated with the loss of reactive labile organic carbon. As a result, oxygen consumption rates decrease significantly after the removal of the surface sediments, and consequently, oxygen penetrates up to tenfold deeper into the sediments inhibiting denitrification and Mn(IV) reduction. Our model results show that the return to steady state geochemical conditions after the disturbance is controlled by diffusion until the reactive labile TOC fraction in the surface sediments is partly re‑established and the biogeochemical processes commence. While the re-establishment of bioturbation is essential, steady state geochemical conditions are ultimately controlled by the burial rate of organic matter. Hence, under current depositional conditions, new steady state geochemical conditions in the sediments of the CCZ are reached only on a millennium-scale even for these small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities.</p>

scholarly journals A primer for use of genetic tools in selecting and testing the suitability of set-aside sites protected from deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide mining activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Boschen ◽  
Patrick C. Collins ◽  
Verena Tunnicliffe ◽  
Jens Carlsson ◽  
Jonathan P.A. Gardner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Genetic Tools ◽  
Seafloor Massive Sulfide

SHOULD THE AREA BE MINED? THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON DEEP-SEA MININGA ÁREA DEVERIA SER MINERADA? O PRINCÍPIO DA PRECAUÇÃO E OS IMPACTOS AMBIENTAIS DA MINERAÇÃO EM FUNDOS MARINHOS

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Kern Moreira ◽  
Felipe de Macedo Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Analysis Procedure ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
International Seabed Authority

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of the precautionary principle in the regulations of seabed exploitation activities. In order to do this, it relates the current Mining Code with the events that served as the basis for the Code negotiation. The methodology applied in this research is predominantly qualitative and of the document analysis procedure. The documents examined are the rules and jurisdictional decisions emanated from the International Seabed Authority. In summary, this article analyzes the adoption of the precautionary principle in recent normative and decisional constructions regarding mining activities and environmental impacts in the deep seabed. In conclusion, it is pointed to the construction of a normative arrangement of jurisdictional consolidation of the precautionary principle in the exploration activities of the deep seabed. Moreover, given the uncertain nature of the consequences that mining in the deep seabed will bring, the adoption of the principle arises to ensure the reduction of environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Impact of small-scale disturbances on geochemical conditions, biogeochemical processes and element fluxes in surface sediments of the eastern Clarion–Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1113-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica B. Volz ◽  
Laura Haffert ◽  
Matthias Haeckel ◽  
Andrea Koschinsky ◽  
Sabine Kasten
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Biogeochemical Processes ◽  
Geochemical Conditions ◽  
Element Fluxes ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules

Abstract. The thriving interest in harvesting deep-sea mineral resources, such as polymetallic nodules, calls for environmental impact studies and, ultimately, for regulations for environmental protection. Industrial-scale deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules most likely has severe consequences for the natural environment. However, the effects of mining activities on deep-sea ecosystems, sediment geochemistry and element fluxes are still poorly understood. Predicting the environmental impact is challenging due to the scarcity of environmental baseline studies as well as the lack of mining trials with industrial mining equipment in the deep sea. Thus, currently we have to rely on small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities as a first-order approximation to study the expected impacts on the abyssal environment. Here, we investigate surface sediments in disturbance tracks of seven small-scale benthic impact experiments, which have been performed in four European contract areas for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the NE Pacific. These small-scale disturbance experiments were performed 1 d to 37 years prior to our sampling program in the German, Polish, Belgian and French contract areas using different disturbance devices. We show that the depth distribution of solid-phase Mn in the upper 20 cm of the sediments in the CCZ provides a reliable tool for the determination of the disturbance depth, which has been proposed in a previous study from the SE Pacific (Paul et al., 2018). We found that the upper 5–15 cm of the sediments was removed during various small-scale disturbance experiments in the different exploration contract areas. Transient transport-reaction modeling for the Polish and German contract areas reveals that the removal of the surface sediments is associated with the loss of the reactive labile total organic carbon (TOC) fraction. As a result, oxygen consumption rates decrease significantly after the removal of the surface sediments, and, consequently, oxygen penetrates up to 10-fold deeper into the sediments, inhibiting denitrification and Mn(IV) reduction. Our model results show that the return to steady-state geochemical conditions after the disturbance is controlled by diffusion until the reactive labile TOC fraction in the surface sediments is partly re-established and the biogeochemical processes commence. While the re-establishment of bioturbation is essential, steady-state geochemical conditions are ultimately controlled by the delivery rate of organic matter to the seafloor. Hence, under current depositional conditions, new steady-state geochemical conditions in the sediments of the CCZ are reached only on a millennium scale even for these small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities.

scholarly journals Impact of small-scale disturbances on geochemical conditions, biogeochemical processes and element fluxes in surface sediments of the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica B. Volz ◽  
Laura Haffert ◽  
Matthias Haeckel ◽  
Andrea Koschinsky ◽  
Sabine Kasten
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Biogeochemical Processes ◽  
Mining Equipment ◽  
Transport Reaction ◽  
Element Fluxes ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules

Abstract. The thriving interest in harvesting deep-sea mineral resources, such as polymetallic nodules, calls for environmental impact studies, and ultimately, for regulations for environmental protection. Industrial-scale deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules most likely has severe consequences for the natural environment. However, the effects of mining activities on deep-sea ecosystems, sediment geochemistry and element fluxes are still poorly conceived. Predicting the environmental impact is challenging due to the scarcity of environmental baseline studies as well as the lack of mining trials with industrial mining equipment in the deep sea. Thus, currently we have to rely on small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities as a first-order approximation to study the expected impacts on the abyssal environment. Here, we investigate surface sediments in disturbance tracks of seven small-scale benthic impact experiments, which have been performed in four European contract areas for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). These small-scale disturbance experiments were performed 1 day to 37 years prior to our sampling program in the German, Polish, Belgian and French contract areas using different disturbance devices. We show that the depth distribution of solid-phase Mn in the upper 20 cm of the sediments in the CCZ provides a reliable tool for the determination of the disturbance depth, which has been proposed in a previous study (Paul et al., 2018). We found that the upper 5–15 cm of the sediments were removed during various small-scale disturbance experiments in the different exploration contract areas. Transient transport-reaction modelling for the Polish and German contract areas reveals that the removal of the surface sediments is associated with the loss of reactive labile organic carbon. As a result, oxygen consumption rates decrease significantly after the removal of the surface sediments, and consequently, oxygen penetrates up to tenfold deeper into the sediments inhibiting denitrification and Mn(IV) reduction. Our model results show that the post-disturbance geochemical re-equilibration is controlled by diffusion until the reactive labile TOC fraction in the surface sediments is partly re-established and the biogeochemical processes commence. While the re-establishment of bioturbation is essential, the geochemical re-equilibration of the sediments is ultimately controlled by the burial rates of organic matter. Hence, under current depositional conditions, the new geochemical equilibrium in the sediments of the CCZ is reached only on a millennia scale even for these small-scale disturbances simulating deep-sea mining activities.

scholarly journals Recognition of ecosystem-based management principles in key documents of the seabed mining regime: implications and further recommendations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maila Guilhon ◽  
Francesc Montserrat ◽  
Alexander Turra
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Law Of The Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Based Management ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
United Nations Convention ◽  
International Seabed Authority ◽  
Seabed Mining ◽  
Over Time

Abstract New human uses on the marine environment, such as deep-sea mining (DSM), have necessitated the adoption of more holistic approaches such as ecosystem-based management (EBM) to secure sustainable development. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the rules, regulations, and procedures adopted by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) represent the main regulatory framework to govern DSM activities. This study aimed to examine whether UNCLOS and ISA documents include references to EBM principles, and if these references vary in documents through time. Following a literature review, 26 EBM principles were collated into 8 general categories, and their adherence to 5 key documents related to the DSM regime was analysed. Results demonstrated a trend in recognizing EBM principles in documents over time, especially in the Draft Regulations for Exploitation. However, the mere recognition of EBM principles in the regulatory framework does not guarantee that the approach will be clearly understood and appropriately incorporated by contractors throughout the process. For such, further clarification on the meaning of the Ecosystem Approach in the DSM context and building the capacity of the ISA Legal and Technical Commission are among the recommendations presented by this study.

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