In the second project phase of MiningImpact (2018-2022), they will extend their previous work towards three major research interests concerning deep-sea mining: (1) the larger scale environmental impact caused by the suspended sediment plume, (2) the regional connectivity of species and the biodiversity of biological assemblages and their resilience to impacts, and (3) the integrated effects on ecosystem functions, such as the benthic foodweb and biogeochemical processes.  

The MIDAS project - Managing Impacts of Deep-seA reSource exploitation - was a multidisciplinary research programme investigating the environmental impacts of extracting mineral and energy resources from the deep-sea environment. This included the exploitation of materials such as polymetallic sulphides, manganese nodules, cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts, methane hydrates and the potential mining of rare earth elements.

Research highlights

The Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) is a global network of experts which integrates science, technology, policy, law and economics to advise on ecosystem-based management of resource use in the deep ocean, and on strategies to maintain the integrity of deep-ocean ecosystems within and beyond national jurisdiction.

DOSI policy briefs

The Challenger 150 programme is a global scientific cooperative developed to respond to the needs of the UN Ocean Decade. It is a vehicle for coordination of deep-sea research globally towards a set of common objectives. Those objectives are set out by the UN Ocean Decade but here are set in the deep-sea research context.

In the hidden depths of the ocean, vital deep-sea habitats crucial for carbon sequestration are degraded or under threat. REDRESS will demonstrate the feasibility, sustainability, and value of deep-sea ecosystem restoration and provide public authorities with solutions to plan and upscale restoration operations. REDRESS will provide a new vision of ecosystem restoration in European deep seas and contribute to a roadmap for the European Green Deal.

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