Economics And The Environment: Cooperative Aspects Of Future Deep-Sea Mining Activities*
Authors: Thiel Hjalmar , Foell E.J. , Schriever Gerd 
Published: October 2008

Consideration of mining-related environmental effects and the associated deep research programs have developed in parallel with deep-sea mining technology and are expected to continue to do so in the future Three major phases of environmental research may be recognized:monitoring of pre-pilot mining tests,performance of small- to large scale experiments, andmonitoring of pilot mining operations.

Although the third phase still lies a number of years ahead of us, we should utilize the time available and prepare now for monitoring a pilot mining operation. Ocean miners and oceanographers should consider common strategies in close communication and collaboration, well in advance of the approaching commercial and environmental challenges. We propose establishing a permanent and multi disciplinary steering group at the international level for the purpose of formulating, developing and executing a comprehensive plan addressing all further needed environmental research, mining impact evaluation, and risk assessment.

Introduction - ocean mining and the Environment

The development of the still nascent deep sea mining industry has from its very beginnings been accompanied by deliberations on mining related environmental effects. Although most of the early research activities focused on characterizing nodule deposits in relation to various physical, geological, chemical, and biological parameters of the abyssal environment limited impact and risk assessment studies were also conducted in conjunction with tests of several commercial technologies.

Thirty years ago, Mero wrote in the introduction to his book1 that "the sea is a major storehouse of the minerals which serve as the foundation of an industrial society". He also referred to the 1958 Geneva Law of the Sea Conference which adopted among others a document entitled "Convention on fishing and conservation of the living resources of the high seas". This convention, however, was not directed toward a general conservation of nature, but took a more anthropocentric approach which viewed conservation as "rendering possible the optimum sustainable yield from those resources so as to secure a maximum supply of food and other marine resources".

Since the time of Mero's writing, deep-sea mining has developed in great strides marked by pre-pilot mining tests (PPMT):In 1970, manganese nodules were recovered from 750m depths of the Blake Plateau in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida by Deep sea Ventures Inc.(DVI).2.3In March, 1978, nodules were successfully brought up from 5000m depths of the Pacific Ocean by the Ocean Management Inc. (OMI) consortium.4In November, 1978, nodules were mined from 4500m depths in the Pacific Ocean, again by DVI which had by that time formed the Ocean Mining Associates (OMA) consortium.5In 1979, Preussag AG, under contract to the Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Commission, pumped metalliferous muds from 2200m depths of the Atlantis II Deep of the Red Sea.8

Each of these major technology tests was accompanied by limited environmental investigations. If one reflects upon the evolution of environmental thought and the functional stages of research in relation to deep ocean mining, several past, present, and future phases may be recognized.