The global economic interest in deep-sea mineral resources has been growing and so are the concerns with the negative impacts on the deep sea ecosystems if mining activities start. Before any deep-sea mining activities start, the environmental impacts, and how to mitigate them, need to be well understood
– Identify all the bio-chemical-physical parameters to be monitored at the bottom of the sea, along the water column and at the surface
– Identify all technical requirements needed for a real time monitoring of all parameters at the bottom, along the water column and surface, including the use of satellite data (Global Navigation Satellite System and Copernicus’ satellite constellation) and to make it continuously available for remote access
– Identify existing technological solutions and develop new ones to fulfil the technical requirements
– Design and develop the architecture of the system in view of incorporating the monitoring parameters, the technical requirements and the legal constrains
– Develop a trial version of the system and test it
– Develop technologies and systems to continuously monitor environmental impacts and
mitigation methods of deep sea exploration and future mining
– Develop multi-scale systems to identify gaps on the relevant available environmental
data needed to develop statistically robust baselines that take into account the three-
dimensional and temporal natural variability of the marine environment
– Provide technological and systemic solutions for forecasting potential environmental
impacts of using the developed monitoring and mitigation methods
