a. Case Study: The Ocean Clean-Up
According to a report by Office of GY4ES.ORG (2023), Versova Beach in Mumbai, India, was once a pristine coastline but became overwhelmed by plastic pollution over the years. The beach, located in a suburb of Mumbai, accumulated enormous amounts of plastic waste. In response, Afroz Shah, an environmentalist, spearheaded a community-driven cleanup campaign. Over several years, they removed more than 5,000,000 kg of plastic waste from Versova Beach. The clean-up not only beautified the beach but also revived local marine life. Following the efforts, Olive Ridley turtles, which had once disappeared from the area, began returning to the beach to nest, marking a significant environmental recovery.
b. Case Study: Ongoing Ocean Exploration Projects
A publication by Nautilus (2024) highlights several ongoing ocean exploration projects. These include the expansion of the E/V Nautilus by 4 meters in 2021, which was necessary to support new autonomous vehicle systems and cabin suites to enhance its research capabilities. In May 2024, the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) launched an eight-month expedition to explore the Central, Western, and Eastern Pacific. This expedition involves 10 missions across American Samoa, U.S. Remote Islands, Canada, and Palau. Ongoing explorations conducted by NOAA are expected to contribute valuable scientific, cultural, and economic insights, as well as innovations. Since early 2024, various research projects have taken place in the Southern and Northern Pacific, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (NOAA, 2024).
c. Case Study: Research into Underwater Mining
i. Advantages of Underwater Mining
Deep-sea mining presents significant benefits for modern industries. According to Ashford et al. (2023), deep-sea mining could help meet the rising demand for minerals, which is expected to increase by 400% in the coming decades due to decarbonization efforts. Minerals from the deep sea could reduce the dependency on land-based mining and contribute to the production of electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines. Countries with rich seabed mineral resources, especially those with large Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), stand to gain economically through job creation, infrastructure development, and technological innovation. The industry could also provide significant economic benefits to small island nations. As deep-sea mining requires advanced technology, this sector could spur innovations in robotics and autonomous systems. Unlike land-based mining, which often leads to deforestation, underwater mining is considered less intrusive to terrestrial environments.
ii. Disadvantages of Underwater Mining
However, deep-sea mining also poses significant challenges. Mining activities disrupt the ocean floor, generating sediment plumes that can travel long distances, smothering marine life and disrupting ecosystems, including sensitive hydrothermal vent communities (Carreiro-Silva et al., 2022). Additionally, deep-sea mining is expensive and technically complex. Extracting minerals from depths of 4,000 to 6,000 meters requires specialized technology, which faces challenges from extreme ocean pressures, cold temperatures, and accessibility issues, adding to operational costs. Transporting minerals from the ocean floor to the surface is logistically difficult as well.
iii. Ethical Concerns
There are also ethical concerns associated with deep-sea mining. One major concern is the long-term environmental impact, as deep-sea ecosystems are fragile and slow to recover. Many deep-sea species, including corals and bioluminescent organisms, grow slowly and could take centuries to recover from mining-related damage. Sediment plumes created by mining could travel vast distances, affecting marine life beyond the immediate mining area. Ethical considerations also include the potential contribution of underwater mining to global climate change and the uncertainty surrounding long-term environmental risks. Therefore, a precautionary approach is recommended when making decisions about deep-sea mining.
iv. Personal Opinion
In my opinion, decisions related to underwater mining should be guided by the precautionary principle. The deep ocean is one of the least understood environments on Earth, and the potential long-term effects of large-scale mining are still unpredictable. It is essential to conduct thorough research on the environmental impacts of underwater mining and develop technologies and regulations that minimize harm to marine ecosystems.
d. Insight into the Future of Marine Technology and Innovations
i. Northrop Grumman: Manta Ray UUV
Northrop Grumman is developing the Manta Ray, a new class of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) designed for long-duration operations in environments that are inaccessible to humans. These advanced UUVs will be able to perform a variety of tasks in the deep ocean.
ii. Future Deep-Sea Exploration Projects
Starting in January 2024, Norway has embarked on the exploration of deep-sea minerals, with mining operations expected to begin by 2030. This project is part of a broader international interest in deep-sea mineral resources.
iii. Commercial Travel
Companies like OceanGate, founded in 2009, are focused on developing submersibles for deep-sea tourism, allowing passengers to visit underwater destinations. DeepFlight is another organization that has developed high-tech submersibles to promote adventure tourism, incorporating cutting-edge technology to explore the ocean’s depths.
e. Regular People and Their Impact on the Oceanic Environment
i. Afroz Shah
Afroz Shah, a lawyer, led the massive clean-up of Versova Beach in Mumbai, India, starting in 2015. His efforts have inspired global environmental movements focused on tackling plastic pollution.
ii. Dana Beach
Dana Beach is a small beach community in South Florida, USA, known for its efforts to preserve historical heritage and its focus on sustainable tourism, offering nightlife and dining experiences integrated with the coastal environment.
iii. Uma Mani
Uma Mani, also known as the “Coral Woman,” is an Indian environmental activist dedicated to protecting coral reefs. Her work has brought attention to the fragility of coral ecosystems and the need for their conservation.
iv. Carlos Mallo Molina
Carlos Mallo Molina, a former civil engineer from Spain, left his profession to focus on ocean conservation. He is now the CEO of Innoceana, an NGO dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems through innovation and education.
References
Ashford, O., Baines, J., Barbanell, M., & Wang, K. (2023). What We Know About Deep-sea Mining — And What We Don’t. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/deep-sea-mining-explained
Carreiro-Silva, M., Martins, I., Riou, V., Raimundo, J., Caetano, M., Bettencourt, R., Rakka, M., Cerqueira, T., Godinho, A., Morato, T., & Colaço, A. (2022). Mechanical and toxicological effects of deep-sea mining sediment plumes on a habitat-forming cold-water octocoral. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.915650
Nautilus. (2024, June 6). Ocean Exploration Trust. Nautilus Live. https://nautiluslive.org/about
NOAA. (2024). NOAA Ocean Exploration 2024 Expeditions: NOAA Ocean Exploration. Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/2024-expeditions/welcome.html
Office of GY4ES.ORG. (2023, October 3). Oceans vs. Plastic: Impacts and Case Studies. GY4ES.ORG; GY4ES.ORG. https://www.gy4es.org/post/oceans-vs-plastic-impacts-and-case-studies
