#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

Deep-sea mining machines could erase seafloor life in hours

A deep-sea mining test shows ecosystem damage can begin immediately, with more than one-third of seafloor animals lost in a single pass.

Earth.com

Plastic bags that get dragged along the seafloor by deep-sea currents leave behind parallel lines like tire tracks, impacting the species living far below the surface.

#Plastic #PlasticPollution #Seafloor #PlasticBags #SeafloorLife #Impacts #Ocean #Sediment #Trails #Marine #Pollution #Philippines #PhilippineTrench

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/plastic-bags-are-leaving-their-mark-on-the-deep-sea-floor/

Plastic Bags Are Leaving Their Mark on the Deep-Sea Floor | Hakai Magazine

<em>Müllspuren</em> are the latest sign of the plastipocalypse.

Hakai Magazine