Mining explorations and marine species
The fascinating and little-known world of the seabed has always intrigued researchers. In recent years, mining explorations have continued to increase without necessarily taking into account the impact that these visits would have on the populations present.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Mānoa, and published on November 6, 2025 in the journal
Nature Communicationsconstitutes the first evidence of the effects of these explorations on species that live in deep waters.
The research team focused its work in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which is located in the Pacific Ocean. Waste from mining could disrupt marine ecosystems in the ocean's “twilight zone,” they say.
More than 50% of species would be affected
This layer, which extends from around 200 to 1,500 meters below the surface, is known to support high biodiversity, including tiny species like tiny krill and fish, which form the base of the ocean food chain.
They are precisely the ones who are most impacted by the waste produced by mining exploration. Indeed, researchers revealed that 53% of zooplankton and 60% of micronekton, these small swimming organisms that feed on them, would be affected by these releases.
By sampling water from the depths affected by the release, the researchers found that the mining particles contained far fewer amino acids, essential for life, than the natural organic matter found in these areas.
The important role of these species in the marine ecosystem
“When waste from mining flows into the ocean, it creates water as murky as the Mississippi River, filled with mud. The ubiquitous particles dilute the natural, nutritious food particles usually consumed by zooplankton, a tiny, drifting organism.”said Michael Dowd, lead author of the study and a graduate student in oceanography in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, in comments reported by
SciTechDaily.
The results of this study are likely to be alarming, particularly given the importance of these species. While these form the basis of the oceanic food chain, they also contribute to the transport of carbon to the ocean depths, a process essential to the health of the oceans and humanity, by rising to the surface each night and then diving again.
This new study, which comes as countries ramp up mining of minerals essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy infrastructure, could in the future lead to stricter regulations from the International Seabed Authority, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), regarding the discharge of these wastes into the ocean.
Source: SciTechDaily
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