Talk: Perspectives and dilemmas on deep sea mining

A recent Wild Wednesday at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) brought together perspectives and dilemmas on deep-sea mining.

The event focused on the environmental setting of deep-sea mining, the biodiversity and functioning of deep-sea ecosystems, and the challenges of assessing and regulating potential impacts in areas where baseline knowledge is still limited.

Karl Attard (SDU / DIAS) introduced the deep-sea environments where polymetallic nodules occur and discussed some of the scientific challenges involved in understanding ecosystem functioning at depths of several kilometres.

Bryan O’Malley (Eckerd College) presented perspectives on deep-sea biodiversity, including the high number of species that remain undescribed and the potential for ecological effects following disturbance.

Ole Larsen (DHI) discussed environmental assessment and governance, including the opportunities of establishing robust environmental baselines and evaluating impacts before any large-scale mining activity takes place.

The discussion highlighted the importance of combining ecological knowledge, technological development, environmental monitoring and governance when considering future activities in the deep ocean.

Many thanks to Bryan O’Malley and Ole Larsen for joining us and contributing their expertise and perspectives.

A special thanks also to Ronnie N. Glud for organizing the event and bringing the discussion together.

The topic connects closely with our growing work on deep-sea carbon cycling, ecosystem functioning and marine technology, and we look forward to continuing these discussions through future research and collaborations.