HIGHLIGHTS
Read on for some of the key highlights from the four annual meetings
The project begins: Kick-off meeting February 2022
The Eco-Safe Ridge Mining project held its kick-off meeting in Bergen on the 21-22 February. The main goal of the project is to fill key scientific knowledge gaps about deep-sea ecosystems on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR), and also to identify environmental risks and appropriate mitigation actions regarding potential deep-sea mining on the extended Norwegian EEZ. This information is crucial to inform policy and management decisions.
It is confirmed that the work to collect the necessary data will be conducted between 2022-2024, as part of UiB’s Centre for Deep-Sea Research cruises to the AMOR. A preliminary plan and scientific goals for the 2022 cruise were already presented during the meeting. These cruises will be key to gain new scientific knowledge about the environment and biological communities associated with seabed mineral deposits.
Both the Norwegian Environmental Agency and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate took part in the kick-off meeting. Norwegian authorities will be informed about the results of the project on a regular basis so that decision is based on best available knowledge.
Risk & results: 2023 Annual Meeting
The 2023 Eco-Safe project meeting took place on 7-8 March at Sola, with a few participants joining remotely. This event was a great opportunity for scientists, industry and authorities to interact and discuss the project’s scientific results, as well as environmental risk issues in relation to deep-seabed mining in Norway. In addition to project members, both the Norwegian Environmental Agency and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate participated in the meeting.
The first day was dedicated to a risk workshop, as part of a joint effort to establish a framework for mineral extraction on the extended Norwegian continental shelf (WP6). Relevant risk components were identified and discussed in light of scientific knowledge and expert opinion. The working group concluded that gaps in knowledge about the ecosystem and mining technology introduces high uncertainty in risk assessment, seriously limiting our ability to predict the severity of events and possible environmental consequences.
On day two, the project participants presented an update of research activities. Mapping of deep seafloor organisms and habitats along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (WP1) builds upon collaborating projects at the University of Bergen and specific studies developed within Eco-Safe. Such efforts continue leading to exciting discoveries and adding missing pieces to the biodiversity puzzle of this remote environment.
New knowledge about ecosystem functioning (WP2) is also being generated, as preliminary results offer important insights into the influence of hydrothermal vents on the food web structure of the surrounding seafloor habitats. Equally important for effective management of deep-seabed mining is to understand connectivity (WP3) – linkages between different areas maintained by the movement of organisms – because it influences the ecosystem’s capacity to recover from disturbance. Initial work using DNA analysis suggests that hydrothermal vent fauna along the ridge has hidden diversity that is important to understand, as patterns of connectivity might be different in different taxon groups.
Modelling of particle plumes (WP4) is already providing initial insights of how much plume dispersal can depend on the time and location of particle release. Combining modelling results with laboratory and field SMS toxicity experiments (WP5) will enable predicting the environmental effects of plumes generated by SMS mining.
Furthering the discussion: 2024 Annual Meeting
The Eco-Safe project consortium held its annual meeting in Bergen on 8-9 April 2024 to present results and promote discussion across the different activities. A key point as Norway opens for seabed mining activities is to be able to transfer the project’s scientific results into policy and regulations for this emerging industry. This can be a challenging task given the topic’s complexity; therefore, it may be useful to build upon existing frameworks (e.g. by the International Seabed Authority) and not “reinvent the wheel”.
The Eco-Safe project addresses key issues for environmental management of seabed mining, such as habitat mapping, ecosystem functioning, plume dispersal, ecotoxicology, connectivity and environmental risk assessment. Research questions include for example determining (1) which ecosystems or areas require protection, (2) whether inactive hydrothermal vents host unique organisms and (3) what kind and magnitude of environmental impact can be expected beyond the mining site. Effective regulations must establish indicators and thresholds to identify significant negative impacts on the marine environment and ensure through monitoring that vulnerable deep-sea habitats are not disturbed beyond those thresholds.
Baseline knowledge gathering: 2025 Annual Meeting
The 2025 project meeting took place in Bergen on 8-9 April 2025 and focused on the ongoing public consultation of government regulations for data collection and documentation during mineral exploration activities on the Norwegian continental shelf. These regulations establish a set of requirements to be met by future exploration license holders during both mineral and environmental surveys.
The meeting participants, which included representatives of the Norwegian Environmental Agency and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, discussed requirements and methods for data and sample acquisition during exploration activities. In addition, the consortium produced a set of recommendations for optimal baseline knowledge gathering in connection with exploration licenses. Addressing crucial knowledge needs such as habitat mapping, biodiversity studies and long-term ocean observations in a time- and resource-efficient manner will provide the tools to support sound decisions regarding possible seabed mineral exploitation.
