What is Deep Sea Mining?

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is International Seabed?
• What is International Seabed Authority (ISA)?
• What is Deep Sea Mining?
• How is deep sea mining regulated now?
• Why is there pressure on the isa to establish regulations now?
• What are the environmental concerns?
• Demand for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep sea mining

 

Why in news?

• The International Seabed Authority — the UN body that regulates the world’s ocean floor — is preparing to resume negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining.

 

What is International Seabed?

• The international seabed, also known as the Area, refers to the seabed and ocean floor and its subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. 
• It is a vast area of the ocean that encompasses about 54 per cent of the total area of the world’s oceans.
• UNCLOS recognizes that these resources are the common heritage of mankind and should be managed for the benefit of all countries.

 

What is International Seabed Authority (ISA)?

• About
  • ISA is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
  • Its primary mandate is to regulate and manage all mineral-related activities in the international seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
  • ISA came into existence in November 1994, upon the entry into force of UNCLOS. 
    • It became fully operational as an autonomous international organization in June 1996.
• Headquarter - Kingston, Jamaica.
• Functions
  • The ISA is responsible for granting licenses and regulating activities related to the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in the international seabed. 
  • Its ensures that these activities are carried out in a manner that protects the marine environment and promotes the equitable and efficient utilization of resources.

 

Deep Sea Mining

What is Deep Sea Mining?

• Deep sea mining involves removing mineral deposits and metals from the ocean’s seabed. 
• There are three types of such mining: 
  • taking deposit-rich polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor, 
  • mining massive seafloor sulphide deposits and 
  • stripping cobalt crusts from rock.
• These nodules, deposits and crusts contain materials, such as nickel, rare earths, cobalt and more.
• These minerals are needed for batteries and other materials used in tapping renewable energy and also for everyday technology like cellphones and computers.

 

How is deep sea mining regulated now?

• The high seas and the international ocean floor are governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. 
  • Water beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast of a country is known as high sea.
  • High seas are the areas of the ocean for which no one nation has sole responsibility for management.
• It is considered to apply to states regardless of whether or not they have signed or ratified it.
• Under the treaty, the seabed and its mineral resources are considered the common heritage of mankind.
• As per the treaty, this heritage must be managed in a way that protects the interests of humanity through the sharing of economic benefits, support for marine scientific research, and protecting marine environments.

 

Why is there pressure on the isa to establish regulations now?

• In 2021 the Pacific Island nation of Nauru — in partnership with mining company Nauru Ocean Resources Inc — applied to the ISA to exploit minerals in a specified deep sea area.
• According to the United Nations treaty, this application triggered a clause that requires the ISA to finalize regulations for deep sea mining by July 2023. 
• If the regulations are not completed by then, Nauru has the right to submit an application for mining without any specific rules and regulations governing the process.
• If the ISA fails to approve the regulations by July 9, other countries and private companies can start applying for temporary licenses to engage in deep sea mining.

 

What are the environmental concerns?

• Conservationists worry that ecosystems will be damaged by mining, especially without any environmental protocols. 
• Damage from mining can include noise, vibration and light pollution, as well as possible leaks and spills of fuels and other chemicals used in the mining process.
• Sediment plumes from some mining processes are a major concern. 
  • Once valuable materials are taken extracted, slurry sediment plumes are sometimes pumped back into the sea. 
  • That can harm filter feeding species like corals and sponges, and could smother or otherwise interfere with some creatures.

 

Demand for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep sea mining

• Some companies — such as Google, Samsung, BMW and others — have backed the World Wildlife Fund’s call to pledge to avoid using minerals that have been mined from the planet’s oceans. 
• More than a dozen countries—including France, Germany and several Pacific Island nations— have officially called for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep sea mining at least until environmental safeguards are in place.

 

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Q1) What are Sediment plumes?

Sediment plumes refer to the suspension of sediment particles in water, creating a cloud-like or plume-like appearance. Sediments are comprised of various materials such as silt, sand, clay, and organic matter that settle at the bottom of water bodies like rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans. When disturbances occur, such as dredging, construction, or natural processes like river runoff or coastal erosion, sediment can be stirred up and become suspended in the water column.

 

Q2) What are polymetallic nodules? 

Polymetallic nodules, also known as manganese nodules, are small rounded accretions found on the seabed of the deep ocean floor. These nodules are composed of a mixture of metals and minerals, including manganese, iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, and traces of other valuable elements such as platinum, rare earth elements, and lithium. Polymetallic nodules form through a slow and gradual process over millions of years. They develop as concentric layers around a central nucleus, which can be a shell fragment, a shark tooth, or a piece of basaltic rock. The layers are primarily composed of manganese and iron oxides, with other metals being deposited along with them.

 

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Source: Deep sea mining permits may be coming soon. What are they and what might happen? | International Seabed Authority | United Nations