Assessment of scientific gaps related to the effective environmental management of deep-seabed mining

A comprehensive understanding of the deep-sea environment and mining’s likely impacts is necessary to assess whether and under what conditions deep-seabed mining operations comply with the International Seabed Authority’s obligations to prevent ‘serious harm’ and ensure the ‘effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects’ in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A synthesis of the peer-reviewed literature and consultations with deep-seabed mining stakeholders revealed that, despite an increase in deep-sea research, there are few categories of publicly available scientific knowledge comprehensive enough to enable evidence-based decision-making regarding environmental management, including whether to proceed with mining in regions where exploration contracts have been granted by the International Seabed Authority. Further information on deep-sea environmental baselines and mining impacts is critical for this emerging industry. Closing the scientific gaps related to deep-seabed mining is a monumental task that is essential to fulfilling the overarching obligation to prevent serious harm and ensure effective protection, and will require clear direction, substantial resources, and robust coordination and collaboration. Based on the information gathered, we propose a potential high-level road map of activities that could stimulate a much-needed discussion on the steps that should be taken to close key scientific gaps before any exploitation is considered. These steps include the definition of environmental goals and objectives, the establishment of an international research agenda to generate new deep-sea environmental, biological, and ecological information, and the synthesis of data that already exist

Prospective Branches of the Maritime Economy and Changes in the Labor Market of the Maritime Economy Sector in West Pomeranian Voivodeship

Due to great natural conditions, development of West Pomerania region since historical times has been strongly connected with functioning of the maritime economy. 185 km of coastline and a network of preferably formed inland waterways allow such industries as shipbuilding, maritime transport, versatile port activities, fishing and fish processing, become pillars of the regional and national economy. The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in the labour market that have occurred within the dominant branches of the maritime sector in recent years in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The results show the impact of changing global economic conditions on regional employment in the maritime sector. The study contains also concepts and new proposals of local authorities, which are to be implemented to stabilize the economic situation of the traditional branches of the maritime sector in the region. The development strategies paid particular attention to the newly emerging branches of maritime economy, which in future could complement and increase the diversity of the labour market of the maritime sector. Several branches are considered as especially promising: water tourism, modernization of ports and shipping lanes, intermodal transport and logistics, offshore/onshore investments (such as gas terminal, wind power plants, shore protection)

Complete mitochondrial genome of the abyssal coral Abyssoprimnoa gemina Cairns, 2015 (Octocorallia, Primnoidae) from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the tropical East Pacific is a region of interest for deep-sea mining due to its underwater deposits of polymetallic nodules containing economically important metals such as nickel, copper, and cobalt. It is also a region of extensive baseline studies aiming to describe the state of the environment, including the biodiversity of the benthic fauna. An abundant component of the abyssal plain ecosystem consists of sessile fauna which encrusts polymetallic nodules and are vulnerable to potential impacts arising from exploitation activities, particularly removal of substrate. Therefore, this fauna is often considered to have key species whose genetic connectivity should be studied to assess their ecological resilience. One such species is Abyssoprimnoa gemina Cairns, 2015, a deep-sea coral from the CCZ whose presence in the Interoceanmetal Joint Organization (IOM) claim area has been confirmed during samplings. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to obtain the 18S nuclear rRNA gene and the complete mitochondrial genome of A. gemina from IOM exploration area. The mitogenome is 18,825 bp long and encodes for 14 protein coding genes, 2 rRNAs, and a single tRNA. The two phylogeny reconstructions derived from these data confirm previous studies and display A. gemina within a highly supported cluster of seven species whose mitogenomes are all colinear and of comparable size. This study also demonstrates the suitability of NGS for DNA barcoding of the benthic megafauna of the CCZ, which could become part of the IOM protocol for the assessment of population diversity and genetic connectivity in its claim area

Research of Particle Motion in a Two-Stage Slurry Transport Pump for Deep-Ocean Mining by the CFD-DEM Method

The slurry transport pump is the key equipment of deep-ocean mining systems. The motion law of coarse particles in the pump is not clear enough. In this paper, a hydraulic model of a laboratory-scale two-stage slurry transport pump is constructed, and the motion characteristics of coarse particles in the pump are numerically studied by using the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD-DEM) method. The performance curve of the pump is obtained by experimental measurement, and the reliability of the calculated results is verified. Due to the application of the amplification flow rate design method, the optimum efficiency point of the pump is shifted to the large flow rate condition. Differences in particle swarm within two stages are compared. The position distribution, velocity variation and trajectory of particles in the impeller and bowl diffuser are studied in detail. The velocity of particles leaving the impeller depends on whether they collide with the impeller blade. The motion of particles in the bowl diffuser is divided into three periods. Collision between particles and blades in the bowl diffuser not only leads to energy loss but also gradually transforms the circumferential velocity of particles into axial velocity in the second period. This work can provide a reference for the study of wear and blockage prevention of slurry transport pumps

Development and Application of a Novel QuEChERS Method for Monitoring of Tributyltin and Triphenyltin in Bottom Sediments of the Odra River Estuary, North Westernmost Part of Poland

A Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction method combined with Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for determination of organotin compounds (OTC) has been newly developed. The novel analytical method was validated and the quality of the results was tested by the use of certificate reference material of freshwater sediment BCR 646. The method was applied in determination of OTC concentration in real samples of bottom sediments collected from the Polish part of Odra River Estuary. The samples came from locations with different anthropogenic impact. Additionally, the extraction recovery of OTC and matrix effect on MS signal response was investigated based on those real environmental samples. It was found that organic compounds and anthropogenic contaminations present in bottom sediments may affect extraction efficiency of the organotin compounds (OTC) and change the matrix effect on MS signal response. The highest concentrations of tributyltin were found in bottom sediments collected from locations in vicinity of the Szczecin harbor and shipyards. The presence of triphenyltin above limit of detection (5 ng TPhT/g of sediment) was observed only in two samples and its concentration was several times lower compared to concentration of tributyltin (from 58 ng/g to 5263 ng/g). In spite of the fact that, the application of TBT-based paints on hull of vessel entering EU ports has been banned by European Commission regulation No. 782/2003 since 2008, the OTC compounds are still present in bottom sediment and pose significant threat to the environment. This threat should be taken into account during dredging of waterways and other hydrotechnical works

Fit-for-Purpose Assessment of QuEChERS LC-MS/MS Methods for Environmental Monitoring of Organotin Compounds in the Bottom Sediments of the Odra River Estuary

Organotin compounds (OTCs) are among the most hazardous substances found in the marine environment and can be determined by either the ISO 23161 method based on extraction with non-polar organic solvents and gas chromatography analysis or by the recently developed QuEChERS method coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). To date, the QuEChERS LC/MS and ISO 23161 methods have not been compared in terms of their fit-for-purpose and reliability in the determination of OTCs in bottom sediments. In the case of ISO 23161, due to a large number of interferences gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was not suitable for the determination of OTCs contrary to more selective determination by gas chromatography with an atomic emission detector. Moreover, it has been found that the derivatization of OTCs to volatile compounds, which required prior gas chromatography determination, was strongly affected by the sediments’ matrices. As a result, a large amount of reagent was needed for the complete derivatization of the compounds. Contrary to ISO 23161, the QuEChERS LC-MS/MS method did not require the derivatization of OTC and is less prone to interferences. Highly volatile and toxic solvents were not used in the QuEChERS LC-MS/MS method. This makes the method more environmentally friendly according to the principles of green analytical chemistry. QuEChERS LC-MS/MS is suitable for fast and reliable environmental monitoring of OTCs in bottom sediments from the Odra River estuary. However, determination of di- and monobutyltin by the QuEChERS LC-MS/MS method was not possible due to the constraints of the chromatographic system. Hence, further development of this method is needed for monitoring di- and monobutyltin in bottom sediments