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Minería Oceánica
- 1. M I N E R Í A O C E Á N I C A S e r g i o C a m b r o n e r o S o l a n o 0 3 / 0 5 / 2 0 2 2 A d a p t a d o d e D r . D i v a A m o n & M a i l a G u i l h o n
- 4. Soliamos pensar que todo esto era vacío … Pero ahora …
- 6. Las PRIMERAS EXPEDICIONES LAS ACTUALES
- 7. H . R U H L
- 10. Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility (CSSF)
- 11. Schmidt Ocean Institute/Costa Rica Deep Sea Connections Expedition
- 12. © NOAA OER © NOAA OER N O A A O E R N O A A O E R O E T
- 13. TUBEWORMS >1000 YRS GREENLAND SHARK >400 YRS MATURES AT 150 YRS B L A C K C O R A L S > 4 2 6 5 Y R S N O A A O E R & M B A R I G O L D C O R A L S > 2 7 4 0 Y R S GLASS SPONGES >11000 YRS N O A A O E R N O A A O E R M B A R I M . R O U X N O A A
- 14. LARGEST ECOSYSTEM ON PLANET CYCLES NUTRIENTS REGULATES CLIMATE DETOXIFIES OCEANS PROVIDES CRUCIAL RESOURCES INSPIRES US N O A A O E R
- 15. R A M I R E Z L L O D R A E T A L 2 0 1 1
- 17. C H I N A D I A L O G U E
- 18. C I E N C I A U N A M
- 19. R O Y A L S O C I E T Y
- 20. I N T E R N A T I O N A L S E A B E D A U T H O R I T Y
- 21. D E E P C C Z
- 22. R O Y A L S O C I E T Y
- 24. N O A A O E R
- 25. R O Y A L S O C I E T Y
- 27. Marine ferromanganese deposits: a major resource for E-tech elements FAPESP 14/50820-7
- 28. R O Y A L S O C I E T Y
- 30. The Guardian/Seamounts Expedition (IUCN)
- 31. R O Y A L S O C I E T Y
- 33. N O A A O E R
- 34. IMPACTOS D R A Z E N E T A L . 2 0 2 0
- 36. EFECTOS POTENCIALES Individuo •Estrés respiratorio •Estrés auditivo •Alimentación reducida •Comunicación visual reducida •Problemas de flotabilidad •Toxicidad Población •Cambios en la composición de las comunidades •Migración •Mortalidad •Reducción de la resiliencia poblacional Ecosistema •Pesquerías •Contaminación de productos pesqueros •Transporte de carbono •Reducción de biodiversidad D R A Z E N E T A L . 2 0 2 0
- 40. N O A A O E R
- 41. ¡Muchas gracias!
Editor's Notes
- My name is Sergio Cambronero and I’m a deep-sea biologist from Costa Rica, a country whose territory is 92% ocean. I work as a physical oceanographer in Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica and as director of Pelagos, a blue-economy entrepreneurship. My research aims to understand: 1) what lives in our world’s deep ocean 2) ecology and dynamics of deep environments 3) how we are impacting them
- The deep ocean is really the epitome of out of sight, out of mind. We are limited by our perceptions as we view the ocean mostly in 2D But as we are beginning to get a better sense of what is down there, we can see there is much more than meets the eye
- So before we start to explore the topic of deep-sea mining, it is really helpful to understand a bit more about the deep-ocean and its inhabiting life. The deep ocean is everything from 200m depth to the deepest point, just under 11000 m depth or 11km. That’s everything that is dark blue on this map. The deep sea occupies Over 60% of the ocean’s surface and provides over 96% of the habitable space on the planet, making it our largest ecosystem by far. It is vast and most of it remote, so very difficult to study. you need a lot of high-tech equipment, which is costly All of these factors means that it is poorly explored We Have better maps of Venus, mars and the moon than we do our own seafloor Over 99% of our deep-sea has never been explored and by explored, I mean visualised. These are staggering facts. It means that we cant even answer the most basic question “What lives there?” about most of our deep ocean. Much less questions about the ecology: what do they eat? How do they reproduce? How old are they? What role do they play in their ecosystem? And if you cant say that, then how do you understand human impacts on it, and then come up with solutions?
- If we go back in time 150 years ago, our knowledge about the ocean was pretty scarce and deep sea was out of reach when the first expeditions began… The Challenger expedition sailed on 1872 and it was one of the very first oceanographic expeditions determined to generate an information baseline of the entire ocean. Sail boat, old mechanics, limited access to biological information, pioneer…. Those people would have never guessed the surprising technology advances that we have today: giant ships manned and ummaned submersibles HD video and audio recording Livestreaming This new techonology allows humans to explore the deepest part of our oceans… yet described…. In a matter of 150 years of oceanographic science we have explored less than 5% of our entire ocean,
- For the first 100 years of deep-sea science, the deep ocean was assumed to be like this - pretty boring and barren - not a lot of life. That’s because it’s not an easy place to live: There is no light past 400m. Temps hover just above freezing. There are crushing pressures. And there isn’t a lot of food - no plants. All food comes from sea surface.
- Now we know this is not true, the ocean is a complex environment that can be divided into “layers”: Explain figure So many possibilities where life has thrived and turned into fascinating “alien-like” lifeforms (gif) that we are beggining to understand March of the sea pigs
- But improvements to technology are revealing that the deep ocean is not one big dark, cold, homogenous environment. just like on land, there are a variety of habitats. There are coral gardens, which are home to all kinds of animals including sharks, there are even lakes made of brine that is 3-8 times saltier than seawater sitting on the deep-sea floor There are seamounts, mountains under the sea, Just a few months ago - over 1000 octopus brooding eggs in slightly heated water off California . Actually follow fissures where water is escaping. There are Flat sedimented Plains, hydrothermal vents, Food falls. canyons, cold seeps, trenches, the list goes on. And because of that huge variety of habitats, there is really really High biodiversity in the deep ocean. There are likely to be about 1 million species in our oceans, two thirds of which are unknown and most of these are in the deep ocean. And the new technology is also allowing us to see species in ways we never have: low light cameras are showing us crazy bioluminescent displays such as this sea cucumber produces its own light.
- Animals in the deep ocean have to cope with such extreme conditions, that many of them have weird adaptations. Find high rates of: Gigantism and dwarfism, high tolerances for a variety of temperatures and chemical concentrations, But one of the most common traits is that most life in the deep ocean is slow. Because most of the food in the deep ocean drifts down from the surface in the form of marine snow (dead plankton and other animals), there isnt much to go around. So animals conserve their energy. Slow metabolism, Move slowly, grow slowly, Take a long time to become mature, Slow reproduction, Old animals-in fact some of the oldest in the world Greenland shark can live for over 400 years and becomes sexually mature at over 150 years old. I know there is no set age for losing your virginity but this shark takes it to a whole new level Tubeworms that can live for hundreds to over a thousand years old. Corals- gold that can be close to 3000 years old and black which can be over 4000 years old. And some glass sponges, Monorhaphis chuni, which can live for 11000 years. Nearly twice as old as the wheel! In the deep ocean, the time scales are completely different. And That means that the deep sea doesn’t deal with change well. It is very slow to recover from impacts.
- this increase in technology and exploration has led to much better understanding of how important the deep ocean is It is our largest ecosystem by far and. That great size of this ecosystem provides big global ecosystem functions and services that keep our planet healthy and keep us alive. It regulates our climate, by sequestering carbono by deep ocean currents that store this carbon on the seafloor. 93% of the heat generated by carbon dioxide emissions, and 26% of the CO2 itself are removed from the atmosphere by the ocean. It cycles nutrients and has a role in detoxification. And something that we often underestimate, is the deep seas ability to inspire us because it is such an enigmatic place –We write books about, make movies, paint. Also fast becoming a source of crucial resources: seafood, oil and gas, medicine, genetic resources because of the crazy adaptations of animals. Many solutions to some of the worlds greatest challeneges could be in the deep sea but we just don’t know yet
- But now there is a problem - our use as well as our lack of care means the deep ocean is changing…. Those areas far our coastlines, far from our sight and seemingly also from our reach, are not. the deep ocean is no longer pristine It has been a place of our disposal for centuries, we have fished it for decades, and we are already seeing the impacts of climate change. Our oceans are stressed. And to complicate things further, our exploitation of key resources is increasing because of dwindling reserves on land and in shallow waters and improvements in technology
- And this exploitation extends to mineral resources - deep-sea mining Why? All of us in this room have a cell phone in our pocket, and that phone has about 60 different types of metals in it. Global populations and standards of living are increasing, and economies are developing Furthermore we are facing a climate crisis with an urgent need for batteries to help us to move away from fossil fuels to a world powered by renewable energy All of these require a vast amount of metals - cobalt, nickel, copper, gold, manganese, and so on. There are concerns about unsustainability and lack of ethical practices surrounding of current metal supplies, as well as geopolitical control issues,
- There are three main deep-sea mineral deposits that are sought after, all different in nature, where they are found, and what communities live on them polymetallic nodules which are found sedimented plains between 4 and 6.5 km depth, poly metallic sulphides found at hydrothermal vents found at mid-ocean ridges between 1 and 4 km depth and cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts between 1 and 2.5 km Each has different key metals they are being targeted for.
- While the resources differ, the mining processes in all three habitats will be quite similar:: mining machines will remove resource from seafloor, pumps to surface ship, dewatered and then waste released back into the ocean. And of course that will do some damage Destruction and removal of the habitat and all life in the direct path of the machines Sediment plumes, like dust storms, kicked up by the machines which could travel tens of kms vertically and horizontally Changes to seawater and sediment chemistry, as well as Light/noise pollution that these animals would never have had to deal with Overall, given the connected nature of the ocean, a footprint which extends way beyond the actual mining operation We dont yet understand the impacts DSM will have, much less how these impacts might interact with other stressors like climate chnage. It Could impact our fisheries given connectivity in ocean (visibility, oxygen content), the ability of ocean to sequester carbon and produce oxygen, and we could lose species before we know them
- So where might mining take place and who owns all the resources? Well our oceans have been split into two main forms of governance. The black areas, usually up to 200 nautical miles from the seashore, belong to different nations and so mining will be governed by their rules. But the the majority, the blue areas, are international waters. This area belongs to no one country. And all the resources in international waters are called the Common heritage of Mankind, which means they not only belong to every single person in this room, every single person currently on this planet but also everyone yet to come So an intergovernmental body, the International Seabed Authority, related to the United Nations, was put in place to regulate all mineral-related activities in international waters, And so far they’ve leased 30 areas of seafloor for mineral exploration as a precursor to deep-sea mining, which you can see here. polymetallic nodules (red shaded) polyemtallic sulphides (green dots) cobalt-rich crusts (yellow) Now these 30 leases may not seem like a huge portion of our planet’s seafloor, but when you think that these areas can be tens of thousands of square kilometres (Sri Lanka) and that the potential resource is so much greater, if not done responsibly, deep-sea mining could be one of the Greatest threat to face our oceans.
- Area with the most valuable nodules. This video was filmed in an area known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which is found between Hawaii and Mexico. As a reminder: This is not a small area: it’s roughly the size of the USA. Hawaii, Mexico It is where the most valuable nodules have been found and therefore where there is the most mining interest. It is also one of the habitats on earth that is closest to pristine16 exploration contract areas leased by the ISA to various state-endorsed private entities or state-opened entities for deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules – coloured área Striped blocks. - protected. UK, Singapore, Germany, France, Korea, China, Nauru, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga And Each of these contract areas is around 70000km2 which is just a bit smaller than Scotland And even though these leases have been granted, there’s been no mining yet. And that’s because there aren’t any rules yet, in part because of the big environmental unknowns, but also economic issues and governance issues
- This is acrtually what the seafloor of the CCZ looks like. This is a research expedition held in the CCZ, and it expected that these images helps us to understand these areas so that they could be managed better if deep-sea mining ever began And that research showed us that the CCZ may be One of most biodiverse habitats on planet. In the east end of the CCZ, It’s estimated that there are >1000 species of animal in a single area that is 30x30 km And amazingly, 90% of them, are new to science. We’ve also found that >1/2 of species rely on the nodules as a home to attach to e.g. corals, the exact thing that is going to be removed.
- So where might mining take place and who owns all the resources? Well our oceans have been split into two main forms of governance. The black areas, usually up to 200 nautical miles from the seashore, belong to different nations and so mining will be governed by their rules. But the the majority, the blue areas, are international waters. This area belongs to no one country. And all the resources in international waters are called the Common heritage of Mankind, which means they not only belong to every single person in this room, every single person currently on this planet but also everyone yet to come So an intergovernmental body, the International Seabed Authority, related to the United Nations, was put in place to regulate all mineral-related activities in international waters, And so far they’ve leased 30 areas of seafloor for mineral exploration as a precursor to deep-sea mining, which you can see here. polymetallic nodules (red shaded) polyemtallic sulphides (green dots) cobalt-rich crusts (yellow) Now these 30 leases may not seem like a huge portion of our planet’s seafloor, but when you think that these areas can be tens of thousands of square kilometres (Sri Lanka) and that the potential resource is so much greater, if not done responsibly, deep-sea mining could be one of the Greatest threat to face our oceans.
- The second resource, polymetallic sulphides are found at hydrothermal vents These are areas where superheated chemical and metal rich fluid gushes from the seafloor forming metal chimneys and powering ecosystems in the process. We’ve only known about these habitats since 1977, less than 50 years. Tiny habitat area rich in metals and Swarming with life. 80% of named species live only there Unusual adaptations - use chemosynthesis to create Food. Can mange extreme temps, chemical concentrations, etc. Clues to evolution of life on and beyond Earth Globally, if you added up the areas of all active hydrothermal vents, it would be about 50km2, which is smaller than the island of Bermuda! So these are relatively rare environmental Amazingly, This particular Pacific vent which is 10 stories tall was only seen for the first time in 2016. - These are places we are still discovering.
- So where might mining take place and who owns all the resources? Well our oceans have been split into two main forms of governance. The black areas, usually up to 200 nautical miles from the seashore, belong to different nations and so mining will be governed by their rules. But the the majority, the blue areas, are international waters. This area belongs to no one country. And all the resources in international waters are called the Common heritage of Mankind, which means they not only belong to every single person in this room, every single person currently on this planet but also everyone yet to come So an intergovernmental body, the International Seabed Authority, related to the United Nations, was put in place to regulate all mineral-related activities in international waters, And so far they’ve leased 30 areas of seafloor for mineral exploration as a precursor to deep-sea mining, which you can see here. polymetallic nodules (red shaded) polyemtallic sulphides (green dots) cobalt-rich crusts (yellow) Now these 30 leases may not seem like a huge portion of our planet’s seafloor, but when you think that these areas can be tens of thousands of square kilometres (Sri Lanka) and that the potential resource is so much greater, if not done responsibly, deep-sea mining could be one of the Greatest threat to face our oceans.
- So where might mining take place and who owns all the resources? Well our oceans have been split into two main forms of governance. The black areas, usually up to 200 nautical miles from the seashore, belong to different nations and so mining will be governed by their rules. But the the majority, the blue areas, are international waters. This area belongs to no one country. And all the resources in international waters are called the Common heritage of Mankind, which means they not only belong to every single person in this room, every single person currently on this planet but also everyone yet to come So an intergovernmental body, the International Seabed Authority, related to the United Nations, was put in place to regulate all mineral-related activities in international waters, And so far they’ve leased 30 areas of seafloor for mineral exploration as a precursor to deep-sea mining, which you can see here. polymetallic nodules (red shaded) polyemtallic sulphides (green dots) cobalt-rich crusts (yellow) Now these 30 leases may not seem like a huge portion of our planet’s seafloor, but when you think that these areas can be tens of thousands of square kilometres (Sri Lanka) and that the potential resource is so much greater, if not done responsibly, deep-sea mining could be one of the Greatest threat to face our oceans.
- So where might mining take place and who owns all the resources? Well our oceans have been split into two main forms of governance. The black areas, usually up to 200 nautical miles from the seashore, belong to different nations and so mining will be governed by their rules. But the the majority, the blue areas, are international waters. This area belongs to no one country. And all the resources in international waters are called the Common heritage of Mankind, which means they not only belong to every single person in this room, every single person currently on this planet but also everyone yet to come So an intergovernmental body, the International Seabed Authority, related to the United Nations, was put in place to regulate all mineral-related activities in international waters, And so far they’ve leased 30 areas of seafloor for mineral exploration as a precursor to deep-sea mining, which you can see here. polymetallic nodules (red shaded) polyemtallic sulphides (green dots) cobalt-rich crusts (yellow) Now these 30 leases may not seem like a huge portion of our planet’s seafloor, but when you think that these areas can be tens of thousands of square kilometres (Sri Lanka) and that the potential resource is so much greater, if not done responsibly, deep-sea mining could be one of the Greatest threat to face our oceans.
- Finally, the third resource, cobalt-rich crusts are found on seamounts. These are literally mountains under the sea. This imagery is from the West Pacific where there are the most valuable crusts, which you can see coating seafloor Seamounts are known to have lots more nutrients and life due to their shape causing currents to circulate around them Rainforests of the deep: dense corals and sponges that act Like trees create a 3d structure that houses lots of other life Old - some have been aged at over 4000 years old. We knew very little about what lives on many of these seamounts - knowledge is increasing but just not fast enough
- And our lack of understanding extends to how this ecosystem will cope with the impacts of mining There have been a few tests done, none of scale of DSM will take place, but this is an example of one where a trawl was dragged along the seafloor in area where nodules were found. As you know, the deep sea is Slow, stable and Communities don’t deal well with change. But nodule areas are an even more exaggerated version of that. This trawl scar, which looks like it was created a few weeks ago, is 26. Years old As you can see, there has been very Little recovery. But given that nodules and crusts form over millions of years, there won’t be any recovery within our lifetimes, within our children lifetimes, within our grand children lifetimes, within our great grandchildren liftetimes. recovery will only take place on geological timescales
- So to wrap up: The deep sea not only harbours valuable resources but also unique biodiversity and habitats. And Every time we look, we find species that are completely new to science The deep sea pushes our boundaries, it breaks paradigms of life. Many solutions the biggest challenges to face humanity could be in the deep sea but we just don’t know yet. There’s a lot to grapple with: Is it better to mine the depths of the ocean, out of sight and out of mind, away from humankind and the habitats we interact with more regularly? Should we exploiting places we don't yet understand? Could we be losing species, habitats and functions before we know them? Is deep-sea mining going to be that silver bullet that solves the climate crisis? OR Are we trying to avert a human-induced planetary crisis by creating another? These are questions that are really difficult to answer but we need to if we are to manage our planet responsibly. I hope I’ve convinced you that the deep sea is not only amazing and important but also vulnerable The ocean has so many more secrets to give up still. There is much more to discover! It’s only by getting a better understanding that we can make the world a better place not just for us now but also for generations to come. Thank you!
- Thank you slide. Adorn as you see fit. Maybe give a plug to DOSI during the upcoming week – our side event and that we are available to chat any time!