The deepest paradox : seafloor mining and its future

Metals mined from the seafloor could support tomorrow's technological and clean energy innovations. Though the mineralogical and geochemical significance of seafloor deposits, which lie thousands of meters below the water's surface in geological formations such as polymetallic nodules, ferromanganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides is well-established, the biological and ecological profiles of these sites are still actively developing. As a result, the two scientific disciplines - geochemistry and biology - have advanced at different rates. Regions of the seafloor including the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, the Prime Crust Zone, and inactive or waning hydrothermal vent systems have attracted attention for their unique concentration of metals used in electronics and strong magnets. With commercial mining activities set to commence in 2019 by Canadian company Nautilus Minerals, it is time to assess the paradoxical nature of seafloor mining: to mine the seafloor to support sustainable and efficient technological development on the land above.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Husain, Fatima

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Marcia Bartusiak.

• Comparative Media Studies.
• Graduate Program in Science Writing.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119973

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/119973