Assessing the Impacts of Seabed Mineral Extraction in the Deep Sea and Coastal Marine Environments: Current methods and Recommendations for Environmental Risk Assessment

Abstract

Mineral extraction from seabed has experienced a recent surge of interest from both the mining industry and marine scientists. While improved methods of geological investigation have enabled the mapping of new seafloor mineral reserves, the ecological impacts of mining in both the deep sea and the shallow seabed are poorly known.