Project Goals

The goal is to close key knowledge
gaps about deep-sea ecosystems on
the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge.

Towards responsible seabed minerals

The Eco-Safe Ridge Mining project investigates how seabed mineral resources on the Norwegian continental shelf can be developed responsibly. Rich deposits containing valuable metals have sparked commercial interest, but the deep sea remains one of Earth’s least understood environments — home to unique species and ecosystems that may be highly vulnerable to disturbance.Recognizing both the opportunities and risks, the Norwegian government has called for solid scientific knowledge before any extraction begins. Eco-Safe Ridge Mining aims to fill critical knowledge gaps by assessing environmental risks and identifying measures to minimize impacts from future deep-sea mining activities. Our research focuses on seafloor massive sulfides along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, where sensitive habitats such as hydrothermal vents and sponge grounds currently lack protection.

Project objectives

Establish an environmental baseline for benthic ecosystems in potential mining areas.
Quantify the potential impact of mining plumes on seafloor communities.
Evaluate the resilience and recovery potential of disturbed ecosystems.
Deliver science-based recommendations for safe industrial practices, environmental management, and monitoring in Norwegian Ridge regions.

Advancing Knowledge & Responsible Policy

Over the project’s three-year period, the main goal is to close key knowledge gaps about deep-sea ecosystems on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, while identifying environmental hazards, risks and mitigation measures related to potential deep-sea mining. A better understanding of these ecosystems is essential for informed policy and management decisions, especially given the current limited knowledge of deep-sea environmental processes.

Deep-Sea Ecosystems on the Arctic MOR

The deep-sea ecosystems are associated with seabed mineral deposits on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR), a geologically dynamic region that hosts two main types of mineral deposits formed through different natural processes. Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits form at active hydrothermal vents, where hot, mineral-rich fluids rise from beneath the seabed and mix with cold seawater. This continuous precipitation of minerals creates metal-rich deposits on the seafloor. These hydrothermal vent systems support unique biological communities sustained by chemosynthesis — a process in which specialized bacteria convert chemical energy from hydrothermal fluids into organic matter, forming the foundation of a distinct deep-sea food web.

A better understanding of [deep-sea] ecosystems is essential for informed
policy and management decisions.

MINERAL DEPOSITS AND KEY HABITATS

The Eco-Safe Ridge Mining project studies the deep-seafloor ecosystems associated with mineral deposits on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. This region hosts two types of mineral deposit resulting from different geological processes: seafloor massive sulphides and ferromanganese crusts.

Seafloor massive sulphides
Seafloor massive sulphide deposits are formed at active hydrothermal vents, through continuous precipitation of minerals when hot mineral-rich hydrothermal fluid mixes with cold seawater. Deep-sea hydrothermal vents host unique biological communities supported by chemosynthesis, where specialised bacteria convert chemical energy from hydrothermal fluids into organic matter, forming the base of the food web for other vent organisms.

On ultra-slow spreading oceanic ridges, such as the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, hydrothermal vents can remain active for thousands of years, but fluid venting will eventually cease. On inactive hydrothermal vents chemosynthesis is no longer possible, so the vent-endemic biological community is replaced with non-vent organisms that are also present in other types of hard substrate, such as sponges and corals.

Inactive hydrothermal vents are the most likely targets for mineral extraction. However, their associated ecosystems are still poorly understood; more research will be needed in order to assess potential environmental impacts from mining activities. Even though the presence of unique biological assemblages remains to be confirmed, recent studies found that microbial communities on inactive vents are associated with important ecosystem services in the deep ocean.

Ferromanganese crusts
Ferromanganese crusts form on hard sediment-free substrates in the deep ocean through slow precipitation of dissolved metals from seawater. These deposits typically build up on steep flanks of seamounts and ridges at a rate of a few millimetres per million years; therefore, their thickness is directly proportional to seafloor age. On the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, ferromanganese crusts become thicker with increasing distance from the seafloor spreading centre.

Biological communities associated with ferromanganese crusts appear to be similar to those present on other seamounts bearing hard substrates, however they differ according to depth and geographical location. Factors such as ocean currents and food availability from surface primary production, which vary regionally and with depth, are important drivers of biological community structure and diversity on seamounts. Seamounts are widely regarded as hotspots of biodiversity and can host rich and vulnerable habitats such as sponge grounds and coral gardens.