The Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, an abyssal plain, contains over 5,500 marine species, with around 90 percent being newly identified, as per a recent study.
Mining companies have acquired licenses to extract valuable minerals from the region, pending the finalization of mining regulations by the International Seabed Authority, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks.
Scientists Evaluating Marine Species Risk of Extinction
Concurrently, scientists should commence evaluating the vulnerability of various species to potential extinction.
Based on data from previous expeditions, researchers have documented 5,142 unidentified species alongside 436 known species within the region. To reach depths of approximately 6,000 meters (about 19,700 feet), remote-controlled vehicles were deployed or special containers were used to retrieve box core samples.
Muriel Rabone, a deep-sea ecologist at the Natural History Museum in London, expressed her astonishment during one such expedition, stating in a press release, “It was remarkable. Every box core sample revealed new marine species.”
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Impressive Mineral Reserves
Among the discoveries were sponges resembling common bath sponges, as well as delicate vase-like sponges. Rabone also highlighted the intriguing glass sponges, which possess tiny spines resembling chandeliers or sculptures when viewed under a microscope.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is an extensive area, approximately twice the size of India, with a significant portion remaining unexplored despite multiple expeditions. This 2.3 million square mile region stretches from Hawaii to Mexico and encompasses vast plains containing metallic nodules resembling potatoes, which support a substantial portion of marine life.
Mining companies aim to extract these nodules to obtain nickel, manganese, and cobalt three critical minerals crucial for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.
One such company, The Metals Company from Canada, describes the CCZ as the largest untapped nickel reserve globally and promotes seafloor mining as a method with minimal environmental impact compared to other extraction techniques.
According to the company, their seafloor license alone holds enough minerals to manufacture 280 million electric vehicles, equivalent to replacing the entire passenger fleet in the United States.
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