A controversial form of mining by extracting minerals from the seabed risks “long lasting and irreversible” impacts, including to globally endangered species like blue whales, scientists have warned.
A peer-reviewed paper said the loud, constant noises from the machinery could interfere with the unique frequencies used by whales, dolphins and porpoises to communicate and navigate the ocean.
Masking these sounds risks separating mothers and calves and disrupting feeding and forcing whales to surface quickly, according to the scientists from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace Research Laboratories.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said mining noise would “overlap” with these frequencies and confuse and distress these important species, causing them to change their behaviour, just as they are already threatened by climate change and fishing.
Critical minerals are increasingly in demand as countries shift off fossil fuels and seek to bolster energy security.
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Lithium, cobalt and graphite are used in batteries for electric cars, silicon and tin for electronics and rare earth elements for electric cars and wind turbines.
But disturbance to marine ecosystems “on any scale is likely to be long lasting and irreversible”, the paper warned.
Dr Kirsten Thompson, an ecology lecturer at the University of Exeter, likened the noise to constant roadworks in a human neighbourhood that was impossible to drown out.
“Imagine if your neighbourhood was suddenly disrupted by construction work that goes on 24/7 – your life would change dramatically,” she said.
“Your mental health would be compromised, you might change your behaviour to escape from it. It’s no different for whales or dolphins.”
Dr Thompson told Sky News whales are “sentinel species that indicate the health of the ocean”.
She said they also have a key position in food webs, cycling nutrients within the water column when they feed, and across the oceans as they migrate.
“Whale populations could sequester even more carbon than previously thought and so their recovery, alongside cutting emissions, could be crucial for the climate,” she added.
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Deep sea mining is a relatively new method of retrieving minerals and deposits from the ocean floor.
The industry has not yet won approval to start mining commercially, but may begin this summer following March and July meetings of the International Seabed Authority, which regulates the activity in international waters.
Many researchers hope the materials locked in the seabed could help create new, greener technologies like long-range electric cars, lighter rechargeable batteries, and wind turbines that can withstand extreme weather.
The world in 2040 is expected to need four times as many critical minerals for clean energy technologies as it does today, according to the leading International Energy Agency (IEA).
But others warn that deep sea mining could affect the oceans in unexpected ways, including by disrupting sea bed habitats and intelligent animals at the top of the food chain. Many in this group call for a reduction in energy and materials demand as well as a decline in fossil fuels.
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The University of Exeter study calls for more research on the impacts of deep sea mining on megafauna.
The UK government is supporting calls for a Global Ocean Treaty, being negotiated next week at the United Nations, which could help secure protection for 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
However, it also committed in last year’s critical minerals strategy to “find out more about deep-seabed minerals and assess the challenges and opportunities of extracting them”.
It agreed not to support the issuing of any licences for deep-sea mining projects “unless or until there is sufficient evidence about the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems”.
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