The last frontier: Coupling technological developments with scientific challenges to improve hazard assessment of deep-sea mining

Conflicting Narratives of Deep Sea Mining

“…Consequently, it is not the authors' intention to quantitatively map citation patterns or types of literature, keywords, or citations that frequently occur in the scientific literature or identify the most recurring positions and arguments. The narrative review analysis follows four steps: (1) conducting the search, (2) identifying key words, (3) reviewing abstracts and articles, and (4) documenting results. The initial search (Step 1) was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science and Google scholar databases, and applied to the search string "deep sea mining".…”

“…Following decades of anticipation, technological innovation and exploration, deep seabed mining (DSM) in the high seas may no longer be a science-fiction-like vision, but according to the mining industry and other proponents, it may be a possible reality in the coming years [1,2]. While the global economy is concerned over an eventual decline in key metal ore-grades on land alongside increased environmental and social concern tied to terrestrial mining, a new 21st century 'Klondike gold rush' is on the horizon; a race to the bottom that, while alarming to many marine scientists, aims to exploit the vast and highly unknown tracts of the deep seabed [1,3,4].…”

Climate action requires new accounting guidance and governance frameworks to manage carbon in shelf seas

“…When the 2006 IPCC Guidelines were developed, coastal wetlands were not included, but the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands (Wetlands Supplement) 48 addressed this omission and acknowledged the http://www.marineregions.org/eezmapper.php. The main transport pathways on the North West European shelf 11,26,67 are based on the main water flow (residual pathways), which will transport particulate and dissolved forms of carbon and sediment. The flows are largely driven by tides, wind driven transport, and density driven flows driven by temperature and salinity differences or by Atlantic inflow (white).…”

“…Source for coordinates of EEZ boundaries: http://www.marineregions.org/eezmapper.php . The main transport pathways on the North West European shelf 11 , 26 , 67 are based on the main water flow (residual pathways), which will transport particulate and dissolved forms of carbon and sediment. The flows are largely driven by tides, wind driven transport, and density driven flows driven by temperature and salinity differences or by Atlantic inflow (white).…”

“…The estimation of the cost of carbon to society is best expressed as a range of economic values, although the basis for its estimation is a matter of debate between exchange price and cost-based positions. It is worth noting that there is growing mining pressure on seabed resources within the 200-mile national economic zone boundaries 67 . So far, the main concern has been focused on the international waters, such the High Seas, which are outside and beyond national jurisdiction and cover about 60% of the ocean 68 , and where interactions with the seabed and water column are subject to a range of bespoke governance frameworks, underpinned by non-exclusive rights enjoyed by all countries.…”