Seamounts are underwater mountains caused by volcanic activity. They are of great oceanographic interest because of: (i) their local and basin-scale influence over ocean systems, (ii) their often unique ecosystems (e.g. Figure 1), and, (iii) because they are associated with the formation of ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts (Figure 2).
These crusts are of particular interest to scientists because they are rich in some of the rare elements increasingly required for development of renewable technologies.
When the mining such seamounts is considered, an inter‑disciplinary study of seamount hydrodynamics, crust formation and ecosystem sensitivity is required. MarineE-tech is a multi-disciplined project commissioned to address these different aspects in order to improve understanding of the viability and desirability of mining Fe-Mn crusts
