User:Parkaln/sandbox

Brief History
When the concept of deep sea mining was first proposed in 1960, very little thought went into the possible environmental impacts it would have. And as land-based resources become limited, mining companies have started to look at the ocean for a source for rare-earth metals. With oceanic research on the marine ecosystem having grown immensely in the past several decades, the environmental consequences of deep sea mining has begun to be scrutinized.

An additional site that is being explored and looked at as a potential deep sea mining site is the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ). In the CCFZ, there are many small, spherical rocks—sizes varying between microscopic levels and those the size of volleyballs—floating around. These rocks are composed of many different minerals, including copper, titanium, and manganese. Mining claims registered with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) are mostly located in the CCFZ, most commonly in the manganese nodule province.

Environmental Impacts
Deep sea ores may contain toxic metals, including copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead. In its natural and undisturbed state, the toxins pose little threat to deep sea communities, but deep sea mining can release these metals in many different states, which can ultimately alter the bioavailability to the communities. In addition, deep sea sediment and nodule mining can release clouds of dissolved toxins into water columns, potentially affecting organisms hundreds of miles away. While researchers are having difficulties with calculating and predicting the impacts of these toxic plumes, research has found organisms practicing avoidance behaviors in the presence of toxins. Some mobile organisms were found to migrate away from the toxic plumes which may, directly or indirectly, affect long-lived and organized communities—even those not directly near the mining site.