Mining in the ocean can disrupt whale communication – 02/14/2023 – Environment

Noise produced by deep-sea mining for nickel, cobalt and other metals to transition to green energy could interfere with whales’ ability to navigate the ocean depths and communicate with each other, according to a study released today. this Tuesday (14).

Potato-sized rocks filled with metal used in batteries cover vast stretches of the ocean floor to depths of 4 to 6 kilometers. Several companies have proposed sucking up these nodules from the seabed and processing their metals for use in electric vehicle batteries.

The peer-reviewed study, funded by Umweltstiftung Greenpeace, an arm of the environmental organization, argues that more research is needed to assess the risk that deep-sea mining could pose to large marine mammals, although the researchers did not collect field data.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN body (United Nations) headquartered in Jamaica, must approve deep sea mining for international waters as early as the European summer. Leaders in France, Fiji, Canada and Germany have expressed concern about the practice.

Proponents of deep-water mining say it would reduce the need for large onshore mining operations, which are often unpopular in host communities.

Detractors say much more research is needed to determine how deepwater mining might affect aquatic ecosystems.

“Sounds produced by mining operations, including from remotely operated vehicles on the sea floor, overlap with the frequencies at which cetaceans communicate,” said the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.