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Deep-sea mining scars still visible 44 years on

Original: Impact of deep-sea mining on seafloor ecosystem still evident 44 years later https:// lemmy.zip/post/74398715

A new study finds that tracks left by a 1979 deep-sea mining test in the Pacific Ocean remain clearly visible on the seafloor more than four decades later, showing that damage to abyssal ecosystems can persist far longer than expected. Researchers say the findings raise fresh concerns as countries and companies push to begin commercial mining of polymetallic nodules, which support slow-recovering marine life.

Why now: Deep-sea mining is under active international debate, and evidence of long-lasting ecological damage directly informs that policy discussion.

seafloor ecosystemdeep-sea miningPacific OceanInternational Seabed Authority

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Evidence

• Impact of deep-sea mining on seafloor ecosystem still evident 44 years later https:// lemmy.zip/post/74398715 · lavenie@lemmy.zip · 1

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