Others are developing artificial intelligence-based technology that would teach deep sea robots how to pluck nodules from the floor. Some companies are looking to vacuum materials from seafloor using massive pumps. These nodules, deposits and crusts contain materials, such as nickel, rare earths, cobalt and more, that are needed for batteries and other materials used in tapping renewable energy and also for everyday technology like cellphones and computers.Įngineering and technology used for deep sea mining are still evolving. There are three types of such mining: taking deposit-rich polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor, mining massive seafloor sulphide deposits and stripping cobalt crusts from rock.
Here's a look at what deep sea mining is, why some companies and countries are applying for permits to carry it out and why environmental activists are raising concerns.ĭeep sea mining involves removing mineral deposits and metals from the ocean's seabed. Years long negotiations are reaching a critical point where the authority will soon need to begin accepting mining permit applications, adding to worries over the potential impacts on sparsely researched marine ecosystems and habitats of the deep sea.
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