University of Exeter Studies Show Deep-Sea Mining Noise Could Harm Whales, Dolphins and Fish in the Clarion Clipperton Zone

University of Exeter Studies Show Deep-Sea Mining Noise Could Harm Whales, Dolphins and Fish in the Clarion Clipperton Zone

(IN BRIEF) University of Exeter studies reveal that deep-sea mining in the Clarion Clipperton Zone could jeopardize marine species by producing intense, far-traveling noise and sediment disturbances. Only 35 percent of CCZ taxa have known noise sensitivities, putting sound-reliant fish and cetaceans at high risk. A Greenpeace-led survey documented endangered sperm whales, Risso’s dolphins, common dolphins, and dozens of unidentified dolphin groups in the zone. Researchers warn that chronic acoustic exposure can impair communication and foraging, while sediment plumes may disrupt seabed ecosystems. They call for comprehensive environmental impact assessments before any mining begins.

(PRESS RELEASE) EXETER, 24-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — University of Exeter researchers warn that planned deep-sea mining in a remote sector of the Eastern Pacific could threaten marine life, including whales and dolphins. Their studies focus on the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ)—an expansive area of seabed and seamounts targeted by Canadian firm The Metals Company for polymetallic nodule exploration and extraction.

In one analysis, scientists assessed the noise sensitivity of CCZ organisms and found that only 35 percent of taxonomic groups have documented tolerances to underwater sound. Soniferous fish, which depend on acoustic communication, are particularly vulnerable. Mining operations generate continuous noise that can travel hundreds of kilometres through the SOFAR channel, potentially disrupting feeding, mating, navigation and other essential behaviors, with cascading impacts across the ecosystem.

A companion survey aboard Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise combined 13 days of visual observations and passive acoustic monitoring. Researchers logged 74 acoustic detections and six visual encounters, including an endangered sperm whale, Risso’s dolphins, common dolphins, and at least 70 additional dolphin groups that could not be identified to species. Dr Kirsten Young of the University of Exeter cautions that “chronic noise exposure may mask cetacean communications and displace them from critical habitats,” while sediment plumes stirred up by mining remain poorly understood but could further harm seabed communities and food webs.

Louisa Casson of Greenpeace International emphasizes: “The confirmed presence of threatened cetaceans in areas targeted by The Metals Company is a clear warning that commercial deep-sea mining must not proceed without a full appraisal of its ecological risks.”

The noise-impact review is published in Marine Pollution Bulletin (“Noise from deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean will impact a broad range of marine taxa”), and the cetacean survey appears in Frontiers in Marine Science (“Threatened cetaceans in a potential deep seabed mining region, Clarion Clipperton Zone, Eastern Pacific”).

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SOURCE: University of Exeter