Key points
- One year after 2022 test mining, the company is conducting ecosystem monitoring at 4km depth using multiple instruments to assess whether benthic communities have recovered or changed.
- The campaign measures impacts of sedimentation on seafloor life like sponges and corals, tracks oxygen exchange rates, and analyzes sediment properties to gauge ecosystem response.
- Data will inform the company’s commercial exploitation application and contribute to the International Seabed Authority’s understanding of mining impacts on ecosystems.
