Deep-Sea Mining May Pose Serious Threat to Fragile Marine Ecosystems

摘要

Undersea habitats supporting rare and potentially valuable organisms are at risk from sea-floor mining scheduled to begin within this decade, says a new study led by a University of Toronto at Mississauga geologist.rnAccording to a university news release, the mining of massive sulfide deposits near "black smokers" — undersea hydrothermal vent systems that spew 350℃ (662℉) water into the frigid deep-sea environment and support sulfur-loving bacteria and bizarre worm and clam species — could smother and contaminate these communities, which some biologists argue may represent the origins of life on earth.