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Seabed Mining Project
The cold, dark waters of the deep sea once were thought to be largely void of life, but scientists now know that the opposite is true.

Underwater mountain chains teem with fish, corals, and other fauna. Hydrothermal vents gush mineral-rich waters that support communities of deep-sea organisms. Unusual animals, many of which have yet to be identified, roam these surreal landscapes.

However, the deep ocean faces threats as governments and companies position themselves to mine mineral deposits on (or beneath) the deep seabed, more than half of which lies beyond national jurisdiction. History suggests that unregulated exploitation of this environment could have disastrous effects. Many deep-sea organisms are extremely slow growing and may take centuries to recover from damage, if they come back at all.

The International Seabed Authority, established in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is developing rules to regulate seabed mining activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Deep seabed mining should not take place unless we have the scientific knowledge in place to ensure robust protection of the the deep ocean’s sensitive ecosystems and the resources they provide. Pew is advocating for strong and enforceable environmental safeguards to ensure the effective protection of this marine environment.

Data Visualization

Research Needed to Discover, Describe Deep-Sea Species

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Data Visualization

New research by the U.K.’s Natural History Museum, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts has estimated the number of known and unknown benthic animal species—those that live on or near the seafloor—in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), the world’s largest deep-sea mineral exploration frontier. The study provides the first comprehensive list of known benthic species in the CCZ. It further shows that thousands more species remain either undescribed—that is, they have been observed, but scientists have not determined their names or whether they have been found before in the CCZ or elsewhere—or undiscovered.

Fact Sheet

Deep Sea Mining: The Basics

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Fact Sheet

The deepest parts of the world’s ocean feature ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. They provide habitats for multitudes of species, many yet to be named. In these vast, lightless regions are also found deposits of valuable minerals in concentrations richer than most on land. Deep sea extraction technologies have now developed to the point where exploration of seabed minerals can give way to active exploitation.

Fact Sheet

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone

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Fact Sheet

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) spans 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) between Hawaii and Mexico, an abyssal plain as wide as the continental United States and punctuated by seamounts. Lying atop the muddy bottom or embedded just beneath it are trillions of potato-size polymetallic nodules. These rocklike deposits contain nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, and other minerals.

Fact Sheet

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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Fact Sheet

The depths of the Atlantic Ocean are home to fascinating geological features and unusual life forms. The MidAtlantic Ridge (MAR) is a massive underwater mountain range, 1,700 to 4,200 meters (1 to 2.6 miles) below sea level, that runs from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean. It is a hot spot for hydrothermal vents, which provide habitat for unique species that could provide insight into the origins of life on Earth.

Our Work

Seabed Mining Regulations

Member states and stakeholders submit comments on proposed rules

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The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and invested it with the sole power to govern seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Mining on the international ocean floor cannot take place until the ISA approves exploitation regulations, and drafts of those regulations are now under consideration. Final approval is expected in 2020 or 2021. For perhaps the first time in history, a governing body and its member governments have the chance to establish rules for an extractive industry before it begins.