#DeepSeaMining causes immediate loss of #SeafloorLife
by Eric Ralls, February 5, 2026
"Far below the ocean surface, the deep seafloor is often described as one of the planet’s least disturbed ecosystems. That assumption is now being tested.
"Companies are preparing to mine mineral-rich #nodules scattered across the abyss. The shift raises urgent questions about how quickly damage could appear once #industrial machines begin operating.
"A new field experiment offers one of the clearest answers yet. Researchers found that a single trial of a deep-sea mining collector physically removed more than one-third of the animals and species living directly in its path.
"The results show that biological impacts can occur immediately, not only after years of full-scale extraction."
Read more:
https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-mining-machines-could-erase-seafloor-life-in-hours/
#DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife #WorldPol #NoDeepSeaMining #RecycleMetals #DeepSeaMiningMoratorium #OxygenSource #Extinction #PlanetEarth