Mining the Arctic seabed threatens fragile ecosystems

The deep Arctic Ocean holds vast reserves of oil and natural gas, along with valuable rare earth elements and metals.

With climate change accelerating the melting of ice, these resources are becoming increasingly accessible. Mining in the Arctic will present significant economic opportunities but will also pose major ecological risks.

A recent study published in the journal Elementa highlights the urgent need to protect this sensitive ecosystem as human activity in the region intensifies.

The deep Arctic and its untapped resources

According to estimates, the deep Arctic Ocean could contain up to 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil reserves and 30% of its natural gas reserves.

Additionally, the region offers a wealth of rare earth elements and metals essential for building modern technologies.

The potential economic benefits of these resources have drawn increasing political and commercial attention, further fueled by the opening of new shipping routes and increased Arctic tourism.

“Climate change and the melting of sea ice are increasingly facilitating the exploration of the Arctic Ocean, but this also entails major ecological risks,” warned Dr. Angelika Brandt from the Senckenberg Research Institute.

Diverse and little-known habitats

The Arctic Ocean’s deep-sea habitats host a remarkable variety of life forms, many of which remain poorly studied.

An international team of researchers analyzed 75,404 datasets covering 2,637 deep-sea species. The findings highlight the need for more intensive research and international collaboration to fill existing knowledge gaps.

“Although we have made considerable progress in understanding the Arctic ecosystem with the aid of new technologies and infrastructures, there are still major gaps in our knowledge of the deep-sea communities living on the sea floor – as clearly demonstrated by our new study,” said Dr. Brandt.

Characteristics of the Arctic

The researchers examined data from freely accessible databases, non-digitized scientific literature, and information facilities, focusing on samples from areas north of 66 degrees latitude and deeper than 500 meters. Their analysis revealed the following findings.

Biodiversity

The phylum Arthropoda – that includes isopods and copepods – had the most individual records (21,405). Other prevalent groups included annelids, sponges, and mollusks, with the latter showing the greatest species richness.

Unique species in deep Arctic Ocean

The brittle star Ophiocten gracilis was found at depths exceeding 1,000 meters during a Polarstern expedition between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean.

Geomorphological diversity

The Arctic features diverse geological structures such as submarine canyons, continental slopes, seamounts, and biologically generated formations like cold-water coral reefs.

“Not only did we comprehensively digitize important deep-sea data and publish it in freely accessible databases, but we also collected, checked, and comprehensively analyzed new deep-sea data. This enabled us to show that, contrary to popular belief, the Arctic Ocean actually has a very rich diversity of organisms,” explained Dr. Hanieh Saeedi.

Gaps in data from the deep Arctic

Despite these advances, significant gaps in knowledge persist, particularly regarding benthic biodiversity in the central Arctic’s deep basins. The study’s habitat maps link faunal groups to specific geomorphological areas, identifying regions with limited data.

“The intergenerational collaboration within the framework of the UN Ocean Decade and the international cooperation with deep-sea experts and the AWI were crucial for this study,” stated Dr. Saskia Brix, highlighting the importance of collaboration.

Protecting the Arctic ecosystem from mining

The Arctic deep sea is far from the lifeless environment early explorers imagined. However, intensified international cooperation and active monitoring of environmental parameters and faunal compositions are critical.

“This is the only way for us to better understand the structure and function of the Arctic ecosystem and to ensure that measures are taken to preserve this unique ecosystem, which is of such importance to the northern hemisphere,” said Dr. Brix.

“Especially in view of the increasing economic and political interests, the lack of data on benthic biodiversity – particularly in the deep basins of the central Arctic Ocean – poses a significant problem for robust management and conservation measures,” noted Dr. Saeedi.

Arctic mining and conservation measures

The untapped resources of the Arctic Ocean offer undeniable economic opportunities, but the stakes for its fragile ecosystem are immense.

As global interest in the region grows, prioritizing ecological preservation through research, international collaboration, and robust conservation policies becomes ever more critical.

Only by understanding the Arctic’s deep-sea biodiversity can humanity ensure that economic ambitions do not come at the expense of this vital and unique environment.

The study is published in the journal Elementa.

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