Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 m (660 ft) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. [1] [2] Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low temperatures, darkness, and high pressure. [3]
For the deep-sea ecosystem, the death of a whale is the most important event. A dead whale can bring hundreds of tons of organic matter to the bottom. Whale fall community progresses through three stages: [32] Mobile scavenger stage: Big and mobile deep-sea animals arrive at the site almost immediately after whales fall on the bottom.
The deep sea remains poorly understood, with limited baseline data on its biodiversity and environmental conditions. [5] Many species are slow-growing and highly sensitive to disturbance, and the long-term impacts of mining activities, such as habitat destruction, sediment plumes, and noise pollution , remain difficult to predict. [ 6 ]
Deep-sea exploration vessels must operate under high external hydrostatic pressure, and most of the deep sea remains at temperatures near freezing, which may cause embrittlement of some materials. Structural geometry, material choices and construction processes are all important design factors.
Deep sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed of the deep sea. ... In the background are the Discoverer Enterprise, GSF Development Driller II, ...
The environmental impact of deep sea mining is controversial. [39] [40] Environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace and the Deep Sea Mining Campaign [41] claimed that seabed mining has the potential to damage deep sea ecosystems and spread pollution from heavy metal-laden plumes. [42] Critics have called for moratoria [43] [44] or ...
The Bathysphere on display at the National Geographic museum in 2009. The Bathysphere (from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús) 'deep' and σφαῖρα (sphaîra) 'sphere') was a unique spherical deep-sea submersible which was unpowered and lowered into the ocean on a cable, and was used to conduct a series of dives off the coast of Bermuda from 1930 to 1934.
Palau was the first country to call for a moratorium, or precautionary pause, on deep-sea mining until the impact of such a practice is better understood. [62] By July 10, 2023, 17 countries had called for a deep-sea mining moratorium or pause, including Germany, New Zealand, Spain, France, Sweden, Fiji, and the Federated States of Micronesia. [63]