A new study in Nature Communications finds that sediment discharged during deep-sea mining operations floods the ocean's twilight zone with nutritionally empty particles. This waste displaces the natural food that krill, squid, and other small animals depend on, creating what researchers call a 'junk food' desert. The study provides the first direct evidence that mining plume particles contain far fewer amino acids than natural particles, threatening the entire marine food web from zooplankton up to tuna and marine mammals. The research focused on the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific, where polymetallic nodules rich in cobalt, nickel, and copper are being explored for use in electric vehicles and renewable energy technology. The authors estimate that 53% of zooplankton and 60% of micronekton would be exposed to mining waste discharge. No international rules currently govern where or how mining waste can be discharged, and the study's authors are calling for regulations on discharge depth before commercial mining begins.
