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) 
&nbsp;

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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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Study shows deep-sea mining could disrupt a whale's ability to communicate