Marine minerals’ role in future holistic mineral resource management

Abstract Deep marine mineral deposits are mineral deposits that have been formed outside the continental slope. Currently three main types of deposits are generally recognized: polymetallic manganese nodules, massive seafloor sulfides and cobalt-rich crusts. The authors argue that marine mineral resource management must be holistic. Holistic marine mineral management requires a clear understanding of the objectives to be achieved through mining and to assess and ensure a proper balance between costs, risks, potential gains and losses. For decades there have been substantial uncertainties regarding the short- and long-term impact of deep-sea mining on international society and the economy and, more recently, environmental issues have become central to the debate over mining the deep seabed. If deep-sea mining is to play a constructive role in the green transition towards more environmentally robust energy production and e-mobility, more ambitious interdisciplinary research is needed to provide the knowledge needed to devise a holistic approach to management of marine minerals. This includes completing thorough baseline studies in conjunction with geological exploration and devising new means of handling financial and technological uncertainties when making investment decisions and when developing regulatory frameworks.