(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Crisis: Mining the Abyss. Just say no. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-07-11 What am I writing about? The International Forum for Deep Sea Mining Professionals The Deep Sea Mining Summit 2023 will bring together a large array of solution providers, upcoming deep sea miners, members from the scientific community, and those within allied industries wanting to learn more about the opportunities within this emerging marketplace. Underwater Minerals Conference The World's Largest Gathering of Ocean Mineral Stakeholders The Underwater Minerals Conference (UMC) is an annual international forum, with representatives from over 25 countries that since 1970 has brought the marine minerals community together. UMC is the world’s largest gathering of ocean mineral stakeholders, including government, academic, and commercial sector professionals. Topics considered for the conference include What are they after? Polymetallic nodules. Deep-ocean polymetallic nodules form on or just below the vast, sediment-covered, abyssal plains of the global ocean. Polymetallic nodules primarily consist of precipitated iron oxyhydroxides and manganese oxides, onto which metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, titanium, and rare earth elements. Hydrothermal sulphides They consist of sulphur compounds, sulphides, which form massive deposits on the sea floor similar to cobalt crusts – thus the name. Massive sulphides originate at hot vents in the ocean where sulphide-enriched water flows out of the seabed. Ferromanganese crusts Ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts and nodules are marine sedimentary mineral deposits, composed mostly of iron and manganese oxides. They precipitate very slowly from seawater, or for nodules also from deep-sea sediment pore waters, recording the chemical signature of these source waters as they grow. Additional elements incorporate via sorption pro- cesses onto the Fe-Mn oxides, including rare and valuable metals that can reach concentrations that are economically valuable. Why are they after them? Primary reason Secondary reason We need them for the net-zero economy. Until we actually start reducing the amount of fossil fuels burnt this smacks of full ahead as usual. Why would I dare to get in the way of profits? The unknown risks perhaps? Have a read of the link. Too many unknowns risk rendering vast areas of the abyssal plain [>2000m depth] devoid of life. So what, you say? The abyssal food-web model indicates faunal carbon flow recovery and impaired microbial loop 26 years after a sediment disturbance experiment. What would be the global effect of harming this environment? +++++++++++ Insufficient data. Just do the easy effing things first. No, not geoengineering. Just low risk simple engineering for xxxxsakes [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/11/2180442/-Climate-Crisis-Mining-the-Abyss-Just-say-no Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/