MIDAS

The ecotoxicological risks posed by deep-sea mineral extraction are complex and poorly known. Heavy metals, trace metals and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) phases may be subject to considerable alteration in the marine environment during the mining and at-sea processing of minerals. MIDAS will focus on issues related to the mining of minerals, where there is an urgent demand for information. The WP3 (Work Package 3, Ecotoxicology) will address the areas of uncertainty in controlled laboratory exposures at relevant (including in situ) temperatures and pressures, and to corroborate these data with exposures to metal complexes and in field exposures. Our group will perform such laboratory exposures on deep sea vent animals, and will also investigate the sensorial capacities of this fauna, which may be disturbed by mining activities (resuspension of mineral extracts)