While you are listening to this beautiful song by Sharzy, filmed by the beautiful Solwara shore, read about how a greedy and nasty company is planning to commit ecological vandalism on unique and important life forms that should be studied and valued for what they are, and not for the minerals they live near. This is from Wahopie Macane writing in the Maori anti-fracking and pro-planet site Ārai Keri-maina Aotearoa The company Nautilus Minerals has just announced: it is finalizing the assembly of ships and machines that will allow it to operate for the first time ever a hydrothermal sulphide deposit in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea . Located at 1600 meters, Solwara is rich in copper, gold and silver. Deposits will be excavated and brought to the surface through pipes as explained in this film. Uncertainties about the environmental impact of the operation Despite some studies on the deep marine environment carried out by the company, this new mining activity occurs in an ecological context very little known. In any case the warning from the collective scientific expertise commissioned by the Ministry of Sustainable Development has just made its findings after three years of work. IMPACT. Researchers Ifremer and CNRS have attempted to assess the impact on the three mineral-rich ecosystems, located between 2000 and 6000 meters. Hydrothermal sulfides These hydrothermal sources who see black smokers exhale high temperature sulfur products from the Earths mantle are known for their abundant life (shrimp, tubeworms, shellfish). Fortunately, they are extinct sources of interest to mining companies such as Nautilus. However flora and fauna and bacterial life in these areas has hardly been studied rather active sources These sites could contain molecules of medical interest as alvinellacine a very effective antimicrobial alleges. living near these sources worm deplores François Lallier, researcher at CNRS. Cobalt crusts Located on the slopes of seamounts, these crusts are rich in cobalt, manganese, rare earths. The destruction of these formations occurs in an environment where there still little known deep-sea corals and sea fans live. Polymetallic nodules The pebbles are resting on a few centimeters of sediment plains having high contents of copper, nickel and cobalt. Burrowing animals found there live with organic matter falling from the surface. The method of operation is to draw these pebbles, changing large areas of the seafloor.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 19:45:06 +0000
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