Long-term impact and biological recovery in a deep-sea mining track

Abstract Deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining is in the exploration phase at present with some groups proposing a move towards extraction within years 1 . Management of this industry requires evidence of the long-term effects on deep-sea ecosystems 2 , but the ability of seafloor ecosystems to recover from impacts over decadal scales is poorly understood 3 . Here we show that, four decades after a test mining experiment that removed nodules, the biological impacts in many groups of organisms are persistent, although populations of several organisms, including sediment macrofauna, mobile deposit feeders and even large-sized sessile fauna, have begun to re-establish despite persistent physical changes at the…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: noc010009, noc010013
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: noc010013, noc010009