The vast expanse of word's underwater communities remains incredibly unexplored and remarkably understudies. But a recent study published in the Nature Communications gives first insights into the stress response of a deep pelagic jellyfish to global warming and deep-sea mining induced mounds of sediments.

The study was conducted by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

<h2>Commercial mining remains top concern</h2>

The study says that the biggest environmental stressor for deep sea organisms is the disturbance associated with the commercial mining for resources on the seafloor.

Also watch |&nbsp;WION Climate Tracker: U.S. storm brings jellyfish ashore

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This is because mining operations pump up fine sediment off the seafloor, and thus generate suspended sediment 'clouds' along the seafloor.

Once on the ship, the collected sediment is discharged back into the water column. The sediment clouds can extend for tens to hundreds of kilometres throughout the water column.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-confirm-jellyfish-who-existed-about-500-million-years-before-early-human-beings-621617">Scientists confirm jellyfish who existed about 500 million years before early human beings</a>

"The midwater is crucial for the global ocean's capacity to store carbon, but also its inhabitants are the main food source for many fish, squid, and marine mammal species and therefore resemble a critical link in the marine food web. They have evolved under much more stable conditions compared to surface-dwelling animals, under a constant scarcity of food, and are therefore potentially more susceptible to changing conditions in their environment," Dr. Helena Hauss, co-first author of the study and Research Director of Marine Ecology at Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), said in an official statement.&nbsp;

"Since determining 'stress' in a jellyfish is not a straightforward process, we investigated their response from multiple angles and combined insights gained from their physiology, gene expression and the microbial symbionts on the jellyfish's exterior," Vanessa Stenvers, co-first author of the study and doctoral candidate at GEOMAR and the Smithsonian Institution sad in an official statement.&nbsp;

Additionally, during the study, jellyfish showed expression of genes related to respiration, innate immunity, and wound repair in the highest sediment treatments, further indicating stress.&nbsp;

Sea temperatures will rise by one degree in the next 84 years, according to climate projections.

The authors of the study fear that jellyfish may suffer starvation since increased stresses due to human activity such as deep sea mining would result in increased energy expenditure, as they observed for the helmet jellyfish. This, they said, will have to be met with increased food intake. Since food in the deep sea is generally scarce, this could ultimately lead to starvation. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

The vast expanse of word's underwater communities remains incredibly unexplored and remarkably understudies. But a recent study published in the Nature Communications gives first insights into the stress response of a deep pelagic jellyfish to global warming and deep-sea mining induced mounds of sediments.

The vast expanse of word's underwater communities remains incredibly unexplored and remarkably understudies. But a recent study published in the Nature Communications gives first insights into the stress response of a deep pelagic jellyfish to global warming and deep-sea mining induced mounds of sediments. The study was conducted by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Commercial mining remains top concern The study says that the biggest environmental stressor for deep sea organisms is the disturbance associated with the commercial mining for resources on the seafloor. Also watch | WION Climate Tracker: U.S. storm brings jellyfish ashore × This is because mining operations pump up fine sediment off the seafloor, and thus generate suspended sediment 'clouds' along the seafloor. Once on the ship, the collected sediment is discharged back into the water column. The sediment clouds can extend for tens to hundreds of kilometres throughout the water column. Also read | Scientists confirm jellyfish who existed about 500 million years before early human beings "The midwater is crucial for the global ocean's capacity to store carbon, but also its inhabitants are the main food source for many fish, squid, and marine mammal species and therefore resemble a critical link in the marine food web. They have evolved under much more stable conditions compared to surface-dwelling animals, under a constant scarcity of food, and are therefore potentially more susceptible to changing conditions in their environment," Dr. Helena Hauss, co-first author of the study and Research Director of Marine Ecology at Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), said in an official statement. "Since determining 'stress' in a jellyfish is not a straightforward process, we investigated their response from multiple angles and combined insights gained from their physiology, gene expression and the microbial symbionts on the jellyfish's exterior," Vanessa Stenvers, co-first author of the study and doctoral candidate at GEOMAR and the Smithsonian Institution sad in an official statement. Additionally, during the study, jellyfish showed expression of genes related to respiration, innate immunity, and wound repair in the highest sediment treatments, further indicating stress. Sea temperatures will rise by one degree in the next 84 years, according to climate projections. The authors of the study fear that jellyfish may suffer starvation since increased stresses due to human activity such as deep sea mining would result in increased energy expenditure, as they observed for the helmet jellyfish. This, they said, will have to be met with increased food intake. Since food in the deep sea is generally scarce, this could ultimately lead to starvation. (With inputs from agencies)

Deep sea mining might stress out jellyfish, starve them to death, warn scientists

Last week, negotiations over how to regulate the mining of the seabed began among the 167-nation body, International Seabed Authority (ISA) which regulates the exploitation of minerals on the seabed outside national jurisdictions also known as the high seas.&nbsp;

The ISA headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica is in the midst of hosting a two-week council session which began on March 16 to discuss the adoption of a mining code which has been in the works for nearly a decade. However, its chief has recently come under fire for supposedly ignoring proposals by other diplomats and pushing them to approve the start of deep-sea mining.&nbsp;

What has been happening at the ISA?

The ISA works under the authorisation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which allows the 167-nation body to control seabeds outside the territorial waters of nations. “We come together now with the work on the mining code, well advanced and with six weeks of negotiating before us this year”, said a British lawyer and head of the UN-affiliated body Michael Lodge.&nbsp;

ISA has recently faced pressure from the tiny Pacific nation, Nauru, said a report by AFP. Notably, the exploitation of seafloor minerals is not expected to begin until the adoption of a mining code, the discussion of which has lasted for almost 10 years now but in June 2021 the island nation triggered a clause which allowed it to demand the adoption of these rules within two years.&nbsp;

The decision taken by ISA is also being closely watched as it comes amid several landmark treaties signed in favour of protecting the environment. This includes the landmark UN High Seas Treaty which was adopted, earlier this month, to protect oceans and seabeds outside national jurisdiction.&nbsp;

Following the historic UN Biodiversity Conference which aims to protect 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and water by 2030, late last year. “With these global milestones, the pressure is now on the ISA council to deliver,” said Lodge, as per AFP.&nbsp;

What was the row about?

As the two-week council session in Jamaica is underway, the ISA chief has been criticised by diplomats who have claimed that he has been pushing them to accelerate the process of beginning deep-sea mining. According to a report by the New York Times, the British lawyer who has a duty of neutrality has supposedly been ignoring measures proposed by some council members which could potentially slow down approval of the first mining proposals.&nbsp;

Additionally, not all countries are in favour of beginning seabed extraction and raised concerns like a lack of knowledge on the impact of disturbing the ocean floor. Germany and Costa Rica have also joined France, Spain, Chile, New Zealand and several Pacific nations which have expressed these concerns and called for a “precautionary pause” or a ban on mining in the high seas.&nbsp;

The 167-nation body will soon receive an application for commercial seabed mining, which makes the decision about the mining code all the more important as it would govern the process. According to the Guardian, Lodge has previously indicated that the impact of seabed mining is “predictable and manageable”.&nbsp;

In response to the story in the New York Times, Costa Rica’s representative to the ISA, Gina Guillén Grillo took to Twitter, on Monday (March 20) and said “Decisions must come from them &amp; must not be pushed by those who have only administrative duties. Mining the seabed cannot be rushed (because) of the economic interests of a few.”

Similarly, Franziska Brantner, Germany’s minister for economic affairs and climate action, in a letter to Lodge also said, “It is not the task of the secretariat to interfere in the decision making. In the past, you have actively taken a stand against positions and decision-making proposals from individual delegations,” reported the Guardian. It added that Germany was “seriously concerned about this approach.”

How did Lodge respond to these allegations?

In his opening remarks, on March 8, the British lawyer said that the allegations of him taking a position opposing proposals from delegates are “untrue” and that he rejects “such a baseless allegation”.&nbsp;

Subsequently, he also made a statement to the New York Times and clarified his position by saying that he places “high importance on the preservation and protection of the marine environment”. He also spoke about how he is working to make sure that the “decision-making processes around economic activity in the deep seabed is based on best available scientific knowledge”.&nbsp;

What would happen if the ISA cannot reach an agreement?

The two-year period expires in a few months after which Nauru will be able to apply for an exploitation contract for Nauru Ocean Resources, Nori, a subsidiary of Canadian mining startup The Metals Company which the country also sponsors. The small Pacific island country is one of three states sponsoring the Canadian mining startup along with the Kingdom of Tonga and the Republic of Kiribati.

Nauru has also previously sent a memo to the ISA saying that if the seabed authority has not finalised regulations within the time frame and in the meantime if an application for deep-sea mining has been submitted they should “consider and provisionally approve” it. However, other countries have said that they are not obligated to do so until the regulations are finalised.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Duncan Currie, an international legal adviser to the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and official observer at the meeting on March 8, told the Guardian, “This is not just a row between diplomats. It is very significant. The executive organ is the council. It is not for the administrative body to be telling the council what decisions they should be making.”

ISA spokesperson, who was not named, also told the UK-based news organisation, that the role of the secretariat is to “facilitate negotiations and ensure that discussions are informed by the best available science” and in line with the UN convention.&nbsp;

It does not “pass judgement” on the position of its member states. “The regulations will only be approved should ISA’s members reach a consensus on its content. In the meantime, only exploration activities will be permitted,” said the ISA spokesperson, as per the Guardian.&nbsp;

As of now, about 30 research centres and companies which are only concerned with the exploration of delimited zones have been granted contracts as the seabeds are considered a “common heritage” that belong to no one, reported AFP. However, that could change as the July 2023 deadline approaches.&nbsp;

Kirsten Thompson, a&nbsp;lecturer in ecology at the University of Exeter told BBC Future, that mining could "irreversibly damage"&nbsp;species that live on the ocean floor also known as&nbsp;benthic&nbsp;ecosystems. He added,&nbsp;considering the "myriad threats" the marine&nbsp;ecosystem is facing, regulating human activities is "vital to ensure biodiversity conservation and to preserve ecosystem functioning".&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
 
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Last week, negotiations over how to regulate the mining of the seabed began among the 167-nation body, International Seabed Authority (ISA) which regulates the exploitation of minerals on the seabed outside national jurisdictions also known as the high seas.

Last week, negotiations over how to regulate the mining of the seabed began among the 167-nation body, International Seabed Authority (ISA) which regulates the exploitation of minerals on the seabed outside national jurisdictions also known as the high seas. The ISA headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica is in the midst of hosting a two-week council session which began on March 16 to discuss the adoption of a mining code which has been in the works for nearly a decade. However, its chief has recently come under fire for supposedly ignoring proposals by other diplomats and pushing them to approve the start of deep-sea mining. What has been happening at the ISA? The ISA works under the authorisation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which allows the 167-nation body to control seabeds outside the territorial waters of nations. “We come together now with the work on the mining code, well advanced and with six weeks of negotiating before us this year”, said a British lawyer and head of the UN-affiliated body Michael Lodge. ISA has recently faced pressure from the tiny Pacific nation, Nauru, said a report by AFP. Notably, the exploitation of seafloor minerals is not expected to begin until the adoption of a mining code, the discussion of which has lasted for almost 10 years now but in June 2021 the island nation triggered a clause which allowed it to demand the adoption of these rules within two years. The decision taken by ISA is also being closely watched as it comes amid several landmark treaties signed in favour of protecting the environment. This includes the landmark UN High Seas Treaty which was adopted, earlier this month, to protect oceans and seabeds outside national jurisdiction. Following the historic UN Biodiversity Conference which aims to protect 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and water by 2030, late last year. “With these global milestones, the pressure is now on the ISA council to deliver,” said Lodge, as per AFP. What was the row about? As the two-week council session in Jamaica is underway, the ISA chief has been criticised by diplomats who have claimed that he has been pushing them to accelerate the process of beginning deep-sea mining. According to a report by the New York Times, the British lawyer who has a duty of neutrality has supposedly been ignoring measures proposed by some council members which could potentially slow down approval of the first mining proposals. Additionally, not all countries are in favour of beginning seabed extraction and raised concerns like a lack of knowledge on the impact of disturbing the ocean floor. Germany and Costa Rica have also joined France, Spain, Chile, New Zealand and several Pacific nations which have expressed these concerns and called for a “precautionary pause” or a ban on mining in the high seas. The 167-nation body will soon receive an application for commercial seabed mining, which makes the decision about the mining code all the more important as it would govern the process. According to the Guardian, Lodge has previously indicated that the impact of seabed mining is “predictable and manageable”. In response to the story in the New York Times, Costa Rica’s representative to the ISA, Gina Guillén Grillo took to Twitter, on Monday (March 20) and said “Decisions must come from them & must not be pushed by those who have only administrative duties. Mining the seabed cannot be rushed (because) of the economic interests of a few.” Similarly, Franziska Brantner, Germany’s minister for economic affairs and climate action, in a letter to Lodge also said, “It is not the task of the secretariat to interfere in the decision making. In the past, you have actively taken a stand against positions and decision-making proposals from individual delegations,” reported the Guardian. It added that Germany was “seriously concerned about this approach.” How did Lodge respond to these allegations? In his opening remarks, on March 8, the British lawyer said that the allegations of him taking a position opposing proposals from delegates are “untrue” and that he rejects “such a baseless allegation”. Subsequently, he also made a statement to the New York Times and clarified his position by saying that he places “high importance on the preservation and protection of the marine environment”. He also spoke about how he is working to make sure that the “decision-making processes around economic activity in the deep seabed is based on best available scientific knowledge”. What would happen if the ISA cannot reach an agreement? The two-year period expires in a few months after which Nauru will be able to apply for an exploitation contract for Nauru Ocean Resources, Nori, a subsidiary of Canadian mining startup The Metals Company which the country also sponsors. The small Pacific island country is one of three states sponsoring the Canadian mining startup along with the Kingdom of Tonga and the Republic of Kiribati. Nauru has also previously sent a memo to the ISA saying that if the seabed authority has not finalised regulations within the time frame and in the meantime if an application for deep-sea mining has been submitted they should “consider and provisionally approve” it. However, other countries have said that they are not obligated to do so until the regulations are finalised. Meanwhile, Duncan Currie, an international legal adviser to the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and official observer at the meeting on March 8, told the Guardian, “This is not just a row between diplomats. It is very significant. The executive organ is the council. It is not for the administrative body to be telling the council what decisions they should be making.” ISA spokesperson, who was not named, also told the UK-based news organisation, that the role of the secretariat is to “facilitate negotiations and ensure that discussions are informed by the best available science” and in line with the UN convention. It does not “pass judgement” on the position of its member states. “The regulations will only be approved should ISA’s members reach a consensus on its content. In the meantime, only exploration activities will be permitted,” said the ISA spokesperson, as per the Guardian. As of now, about 30 research centres and companies which are only concerned with the exploration of delimited zones have been granted contracts as the seabeds are considered a “common heritage” that belong to no one, reported AFP. However, that could change as the July 2023 deadline approaches. Kirsten Thompson, a lecturer in ecology at the University of Exeter told BBC Future, that mining could "irreversibly damage" species that live on the ocean floor also known as benthic ecosystems. He added, considering the "myriad threats" the marine ecosystem is facing, regulating human activities is "vital to ensure biodiversity conservation and to preserve ecosystem functioning". (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Explained | Row erupts amid talks to regulate deep-sea mining. Here’s what happened

A study published on Tuesday (February 14) said that the noise produced by mining seabed for nickel, cobalt and other metals for green energy transition could disrupt the ability of whales to navigate ocean depths and communicate with each other. A report by the news agency Reuters said that rocks, as big as a potato, filled with battery metals blanket vast swathes of the ocean floor at depths of four to six kilometres. The report added that several companies proposed to vacuum nodules from the seabed and process their metals for use in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).&nbsp;

The Metals Company Inc and others were pushing ahead with plans to extract these nodules from the Clarion Clipperton Zone- an ocean region in the northern Pacific. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a Jamaica-based United Nations (UN) body, granted 17 seabed mining exploration licences in the zone. Tuesday's study, published in the Frontiers in Marine Science and funded by Umweltstiftung Greenpeace, said that 22-30 cetacean species, including endangered blue whales, live in the area.&nbsp;

&nbsp;"The sounds produced from mining operations, including from remotely operated vehicles on the sea floor, overlap with the frequencies at which cetaceans communicate," the study said.&nbsp;

It argued that more research was required to assess the risk deep-sea mining could pose to large marine mammals. Supporters of deep-sea mining, meanwhile, said it would lessen the need for large mining operations on land, which are often unpopular with host communities. &nbsp;

The Reuters report on Tuesday said that the ISA might approve deep-sea mining for international waters as soon as this summer with leaders from France, Fiji, Canada and Germany expressing concerns about the practice.&nbsp;

Previous research on ocean noise showed that whales could suffer negative effects from deep-sea mining. Citing another study, the news agency reported that man-made noise could increase the risk of humpback whale mothers being separated from their calves as their normal vocalisations are quiet.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Metals Company said it was studying acoustic data collected over three years with independent researchers to determine what the true impact could be on whales. According to a statement, the company's environmental manager Dr Michael Clark said the Greenpeace study was purely speculative, based upon zero in-field data and funded by the industry's most vocal opponent.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
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A study published on Tuesday (February 14) said that the noise produced by mining seabed for nickel, cobalt and other metals for green energy transition could disrupt the ability of whales to navigate ocean depths and communicate with each other.

A study published on Tuesday (February 14) said that the noise produced by mining seabed for nickel, cobalt and other metals for green energy transition could disrupt the ability of whales to navigate ocean depths and communicate with each other. A report by the news agency Reuters said that rocks, as big as a potato, filled with battery metals blanket vast swathes of the ocean floor at depths of four to six kilometres. The report added that several companies proposed to vacuum nodules from the seabed and process their metals for use in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The Metals Company Inc and others were pushing ahead with plans to extract these nodules from the Clarion Clipperton Zone- an ocean region in the northern Pacific. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a Jamaica-based United Nations (UN) body, granted 17 seabed mining exploration licences in the zone. Tuesday's study, published in the Frontiers in Marine Science and funded by Umweltstiftung Greenpeace, said that 22-30 cetacean species, including endangered blue whales, live in the area. "The sounds produced from mining operations, including from remotely operated vehicles on the sea floor, overlap with the frequencies at which cetaceans communicate," the study said. It argued that more research was required to assess the risk deep-sea mining could pose to large marine mammals. Supporters of deep-sea mining, meanwhile, said it would lessen the need for large mining operations on land, which are often unpopular with host communities. The Reuters report on Tuesday said that the ISA might approve deep-sea mining for international waters as soon as this summer with leaders from France, Fiji, Canada and Germany expressing concerns about the practice. Previous research on ocean noise showed that whales could suffer negative effects from deep-sea mining. Citing another study, the news agency reported that man-made noise could increase the risk of humpback whale mothers being separated from their calves as their normal vocalisations are quiet. Meanwhile, the Metals Company said it was studying acoustic data collected over three years with independent researchers to determine what the true impact could be on whales. According to a statement, the company's environmental manager Dr Michael Clark said the Greenpeace study was purely speculative, based upon zero in-field data and funded by the industry's most vocal opponent. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Study shows deep-sea mining could disrupt a whale's ability to communicate

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Deep Sea Mining, News on Deep Sea Mining, stories on Deep Sea Mining, articles on Deep Sea Mining, Deep Sea Mining stories at Wion, Deep Sea Mining news, Deep Sea Mining latest news

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Deep sea mining might stress out jellyfish, starve them to death, warn scientists

Explained | Row erupts amid talks to regulate deep-sea mining. Here’s what happened

Study shows deep-sea mining could disrupt a whale's ability to communicate