Exploring Ocean Floor Geodiversity in Relation to Mineral Resources in the Southwest Pacific Ocean

Arie Christoffel Seijmonsbergen, Sanne Valentijn, Lisan Westerhof and Kenneth Frank Rijsdijk
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Arie Christoffel Seijmonsbergen: Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sanne Valentijn: Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Lisan Westerhof: Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Kenneth Frank Rijsdijk: Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Resources, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The future extraction of mineral resources may irreversibly damage ocean floor geodiversity in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Therefore, understanding of the spatial distribution of ocean floor geodiversity in relation to mineral resources is important. For that purpose, we first developed a geodiversity index map of the western Pacific Ocean including spatial information of openly available digital layers of four components: seafloor geomorphology, sediment thickness, bathymetry and seafloor roughness. Second, we analysed how these components contributed to the geodiversity index. Finally, correlations between three mineral resources (seafloor massive sulphides, polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich crusts) and the geodiversity index, its components, and the ocean floor age were calculated. The results showed that the ocean floor environment and the time necessary for the formation of the three mineral resources were predominantly related to the bathymetry component and the age of the ocean floor, and to a lesser extent to the seafloor roughness, geomorphology and sediment thickness components. We conclude that the ocean floor geodiversity index and its components contribute to an improved understanding of the spatial distribution of abiotic seafloor diversity and can be optimized by using higher resolution data. We suggest that ocean floor geodiversity could be considered in future resource extraction to support responsible mining and help limit environmental damage.

Keywords: seabed mining; Pacific Ocean; ocean floor geodiversity; bathymetry; cobalt-rich crusts; polymetallic nodules; seafloor massive sulphides (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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