Photos: Hidden Creatures of the Ocean Deep

Images from the seabed shed light on underwater landscapes in need of protection

Article Read time:
Projects: Seabed Mining
Hidden Creatures of the Ocean Deep

New species are still being discovered in the deep sea, including “Casper,” a ghostlike octopod discovered by the Okeanos Explorer in 2016. It was found more than 4,000 meters below the surface.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Hohonu Moana 2016
Hidden Creatures of the Ocean Deep 2
These blind shrimp (Rimicaris hybisae) navigate through light-sensing organs on their backs. They live in the Beebe Vent Field in the Caribbean Sea, 5,000 meters deep and home to hydrothermal vents—underwater volcanic zones that many scientists say could harbor the “cradle of life” in their boiling-hot eruptions.
C.L. Van Dover
Hidden Creatures of the Ocean Deep 3
These mussels are found in the Lau Basin hydrothermal vent, at a depth of 2,000 meters. They are “bioengineers” creating habitat for other invertebrates and microorganisms and depending on symbiotic bacteria in their gill tissues for nutrition.
C.L. Van Dover
Cobalt-rich Ferro-Manganese crust with batraoidal (bubbly) appearance characteristic of older, thicker deposits.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Cobalt crusts can be found on seamounts 2,500 meters below the surface. The metal-rich deposits are only 10 to 25 centimeters thick. Mining in these areas would involve removal of the seamount skin and would likely have an enormous biological impact. It is unknown how the many invertebrates that thrive here would adapt.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
1 / 5

1 / 5
Full Screen

Thousands of meters below the ocean’s surface live the creatures of the deep seabed. The ocean floor is one of the least explored areas in the world. While it once was thought to be lifeless, new discoveries reveal many species thriving in waters so deep that in some cases self-generating bioluminescence provides the only light.

But the deep sea is also home to valuable mineral deposits, which many see as the next frontier in mining and resource extraction.

More than half of the world’s seabed lies in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) was established in 1982 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to manage these ocean bottoms. As part of its mandate, the ISA is in the process of writing the rules that will ultimately dictate how seabed mining can move forward, how to lower its impact, and how to protect areas of particular ecological importance from mining.

The ISA will meet Aug. 7-18 in Kingston, Jamaica, for its 23rd annual session. Member states and official observers will discuss drafts of a mining code and ways to reduce environmental impacts. Now is the time for governments to ensure that when seabed mining begins, it is undertaken in a way that protects and conserves special areas of the deep for future generations.

Deep seabed mining
Deep seabed mining
Podcast January 5, 2018

Event Rebroadcast: Deep Seabed Mining and the Environment

Episode 19
Quick View
Deep seabed mining
Podcast January 5, 2018

The ocean floor is one of the least-explored places in the world. Rich with abundant marine life and mineral deposits, the deep seabed has attracted the interest of a newly forming deep-sea mining industry, which could threaten fragile marine ecosystems. In this episode, we rebroadcast an event at Pew featuring Michael Lodge, secretary-general of the International Seabed Authority, which oversees the seabed that lies beyond national jurisdiction—an area that covers more than half of the world’s ocean floor. Lodge spoke about the future of seabed mining, and the challenges and opportunities around developing rules—informed by science—that could govern this extractive activity while minimizing the environmental damage done to these pristine areas. To learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

MEDIA CONTACT
Kathryn Bomey Manager, Communications 202.573.2120
RELATED
Topics
Ocean Conservation
Projects
Seabed Mining

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

In a vast field of solar panels, five workers in yellow and orange vests and helmets work on a section of panels. Those panels of black and blue glass catch the sun and transform it into energy, even though it appears to be a grey day out.

Article

November 8, 2024 Climate Talks Focus on Funding, Political Will, and More
Two people stand and talk in a tunnel in a creek.

Article

November 7, 2024 University of Georgia Uses Nature to Adapt to Climate Change
An eight-lane highway runs beneath a large concrete and steel overpass, which is under construction. The highway is bordered mostly by undeveloped land with predominantly low brush in various shades of brown and green.

Article

November 5, 2024 Wildlife Crossings Save Lives, Money, and the Environment

MORE FROM PEW

Workplace Savings Program Could Help 781,000 Kentuckians
KS Workplace Savings Program Would Help Workers Save
A person with long, black and blonde braids, wearing a denim jacket, stands at a white board, working with a student in a pink knit cap and black top, working on mathematical equations. Women's Employment Rates Surge But Still Lag Men's
MS Workplace Savings Program Would Help Workers Save