The ocean may be the most plebeian environment on the satellite , but we know surprisingly little about it , particularly at its deep , darkest depths . Scientists are now seeking to remediate that , plunge thousands of meter below the surface to explore the preternatural environment and the unusual organism that inhabit it .
Among them isDr Adrian Glover , a deep - sea researcher at the Natural History Museum , London , whom we caught up with when we visited the museum ’s young permanent heading , Fixing Our Broken Planet , to find out more about this singular ecosystem and why it needs protect .
What is the Clarion-Clipperton zone?
Up to 5,000 measure ( 16,404 feet ) beneath the Pacific Ocean lies the Clarion - Clipperton zone ( CCZ ) – a 4.5 million square - kilometer ( 1.7 million square - mi ) mend of sea storey that spans from Mexico to Hawai’i .
It ’s insensate , sour , with circumscribed solid food source , and yet it’steemingwith life – from sea cucumbers to corals – examples of which can be seen in the newfangled gallery .
Deep-sea mining in the Pacific
As well as playing host to a drove of weird and terrific deep - ocean creature , the CCZ contains vast fields of alloy - rich “ deep - sea potatoes ” and , as such , is something of a hotspot for inscrutable - ocean excavation .
“ In the 1960s , scientists went out there and contract images of the sea floor and said , ‘ Oh my goodness , there ’s all of these trillions of niggling tubercle sit down on the seabed ’ . And they quite quickly realized that this is potentially a commercial resource , ” Glover evidence us .
“ They ’re rich in atomic number 27 , atomic number 28 , manganese , some other mineral as well . And nowadays , the manganese is [ of ] less interest , but the cobalt and atomic number 28 are of interest , peculiarly for barrage metals . ”
On the one hand , these minerals are a valuable resource , and mine them for use in rechargeablebatteriesis becoming progressively important , peculiarly as we look to move aside from fossil fuel use .
But on the other , we ’re not exactly sure what shock mining the seafloor might have on the environment and the species that call it home , or how long these personal effects could tarry . Some fear that minelaying willinevitably harmthe ecosystem set up there and cause significant impairment to marine habitat .
That ’s where researcher like Glover do in .
“ Good evidence is needed on the biodiversity and on the environmental impacts that would happen so that guild , if you like , can make an informed conclusion going forward . And that ’s where we sit as scientist in the debate , ” he explained . “ There are many voices opposed and many part in favor , but we sit in the middle and efficaciously , try and provide evidence and information . ”
Just last month , for example , Glover and colleagues publishedresearchon a speckle of the CCZ that was mine as part of an experimentation back in 1979 , hoping to study more about the recollective - term impacts of bass - sea minelaying .
“ The most striking observation is that the track made by the excavation machine 44 old age ago look almost as if they were made yesterday , ” GlovertoldIFLScience ’s Rachael Funnell at the time . “ This was not unexpected in a elbow room . We have it off that biologic processes in the thick sea are quite slow . ” The team found that he number of many beast were abbreviate within the trail , but it was n’t all defective word ; there were also some augury of biologic recovery .
“ What is interesting is that beast life has actually started to recolonise the mined area . Our data offer the first evidence of the timescale of that appendage in the main deep - sea mining region of the Pacific , ” Glover added .
Ultimately , though , more enquiry is needed to finally put the planetary deep - ocean mining debate to bed .
According to Glover , “ a all-inclusive and perhaps more decisive inquiry , which we do n’t have the answer to yet , is , what ’s the risk of biodiversity loss and actual extinction ? ”
“ For that , we require to have better information on the taxonomy , describe the species , have the knowledge of their specie ranges , and where else they might exist . ”
Protecting biodiversity in the deep sea
As things stand , Glover told us , “ there would be perhaps mining allowed , but with set aside field that are protected . So we need to acknowledge are those set aside orbit interpreter of the biodiversity in the mined areas , and then we can say red of biodiversity should be minimized . ”
And it ’s lively that we do take steps to protect the biodiversity of the abysm , because who knows what could be down there ? The depths of our oceans could be harboring music , natural resources , and even morebizarre beastiesthan we realized . The deep sea also contributes to the overall health of ocean ecosystem and has a major role in climate variety extenuation , meaning damage to it can be felt across the planet .
protect biodiversity , even if we do n’t know how useful it might be , is imperative , Glover spotlight .
“ We do n’t live , for representative , whether these animal are go to provide useful compounds , some chemical that might have anti - cancer properties . We have n’t meditate whether the microbes in the sediments of the deep sea might have bacterium which have antimicrobic property that could be utilitarian for antibiotics . ”
However , “ it ’s [ incumbent ] upon us to protect biodiversity where we can . We have to equilibrise that against the needs of feeding ourselves , and providing medicinal drug , and all the things we require as man . We ca n’t say these creature will provide nutrient on your plateful , or the remedy of the Crab , but these thing , they might do in the future . So this is why we want to protect biodiversity now . ”
