DEEP SEA MINING = tech frontier

#seismology #sismologie #geology #géologie #metallurgy #métallurgie #fishing #pêche

International agreements about ocean mining in international waters have never been formally established. The issues have become urgent because
(a) the development of undersea mining technologies has advanced radpidly; and
(b) increasing worldwide demand for raw materials has flattened corporate risk/reward ratios.

SEABED AUTHORITY. The United Nations has delegated the task of developing a regulatory structure to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) "in order to ensure environmentally sustainable development of seabed mineral resources." -- see ISA, "Scientific Activities Promotion."
https://www.isa.org.jm/scientific-activities

MITIGATE DAMAGES. The purpose of the ISA is to mitigate the expected damages caused by mining on the deep seafloor in specific ways
(a) selecting locations where extraction will be permitted; and
(b) issuing licenses to mining companies; and
(c) drafting the technical and environmental standards of an underwater Mining Code. -- see "History’s Largest Mining Operation Is About to Begin" (Wil S. Hylton). The Atlantic. Jan/Feb 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/01/20000-feet-under-the-sea/603040/

LIKELY MINING TARGETS. "The most likely targets for deep-sea mining are polymetallic sulphides, manganese nodules and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. On a longer time scale, rare earth elements (REEs) in deep-sea muds may also become important, and there has long been interest in the extraction of gas hydrates as a source of hydrocarbons. -- see MIDAS (Managing Impacts of Deep-seA reSource exploitation), https://www.eu-midas.net/science

ISA = INDEPENDENT. The ISA has 168 member states. It is autonomous. Its headquarters are in Kingston, in Jamaica. -- see ISA, "Authority" https://www.isa.org.jm/authority; and see "Member states" https://www.isa.org.jm/member-states

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES? What about this? FYI -- see below, Global map of thermohaline circulation; and likely MIDAS-identified deep sea mining sites