While marine ecosystems are adapted to natural background levels of radioactivity, deep sea mining will mobilise radioactive materials and expose marine life and food chains to elevated levels, possibly for extensive distances from deep sea mining sites.

Apologies for delay in replying, only just back on dry land. Here it is: Deep-sea mining discharge can disrupt midwater food webs. nature.com/articles/s41467-0…

These rocks grow slower than almost anything on Earth — a few millimeters per million years. This field of polymetallic nodules, filmed by an ROV off American Samoa, is also at the center of the deep-sea mining debate. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration

ROV pilots recorded this living disco ball (ctenophore) at 1,292 m. The #SamplingGap sci team traveled to Romanche Fracture Zone, a 950-km transform fault in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, searching for (& finding) biodiversity hotspots & Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. 🪩🪩🪩

🌈 Why are coral reefs so colorful? Coral doesn't have its bright colors all on its own! Corals host tiny plant-like organisms called zooxanthellae inside their tissues, which photosynthesize and share that energy with the coral animal. These photosynthesizing cells also give coral its amazing colors – without them, coral are just clear tissue over a white skeleton.

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Confirmado, el Krakatoa está en erupción ahora mismo, desde hace unas 3 horas, y ha generado un pirocúmulo con topes por debajo de los -70ºC, lo que sugiere que ha alcanzado la tropopausa tropical (14-17 km de altitud). No es extrema, pero sí una erupción muy significativa.

#Krakatau: il video di un peschereccio a due passi dal vulcano alle prese con una fitta ricaduta di cenere e lapilli. Negli ultimi 10 secondi si intravede anche la colonna eruttiva prodotta dall'attività esplosiva.

🇮🇩🌋 NUEVA ALERTA ⚠️ Nuevas imágenes muestran una impresionante erupción del Monte Anak Krakatau, en Indonesia, registrada alrededor de las 2:20 de la madrugada, hora local. 🌋🔥 De acuerdo con información del VAAC Darwin, la actividad volcánica generó una columna de ceniza que se elevó hasta aproximadamente 49,000 pies (15 kilómetros) de altura durante el 5 de septiembre de 2026. ☁️🚨 Previamente, también circuló un video grabado desde un barco cercano al volcán y publicado en TikTok, que permitió observar en vivo la actividad eruptiva. 🚢📹 Las autoridades y organismos de vigilancia mantienen seguimiento de la situación debido a la presencia de ceniza volcánica y la actividad del volcán. ⚠️🌋 #Indonesia #AnakKrakatau #Volcán #Erupción #CenizaVolcánica #BreakingNews #ÚltimaHora #Noticias #Volcanes #Krakatau

#DeepWonders seeps 🫧 ROV SuBastian's cameras revealed this oasis of thriving deep-sea mussels & critters — the mussels host symbiotic bacteria that convert gases escaping from the seafloor into usable chemical energy & carbon that fuel the mussels’ survival.

#DeepWonders science team located 25 cold seep ecosystems and discovered 20 suspected new species. They also encountered abandoned fishing gear and trash — an important reminder that humans have an impact in places they’ve never seen or visited before.

“There are lineages in the deep sea that have survived all of Earth’s mass extinctions, except potentially what we’re about to do." - Cherisse Du Preez, Deepwater Ecology Scientist #Oceans #DeepSeaMining #EcologicalDisaster #OceanLife thetyee.ca/News/2026/08/05/D…

A midweek montage from the July 2026 #DeepWonders expedition to Trinidad & Tobago. The team located over 25 active cold seeps, discovered 20 suspected new species, and mapped approximately 13% of the country’s marine territory.

A chemosynthetic ecosystem — cold seeps fueling life here at 1,655 meters was discovered by the #DeepWonders science team. Read more about how they found it here: youtube.com/shorts/waLnVX6Q_…

The emoji keyboard gives us some of Antarctica's icons: 🇦🇶 🐧 🐋 🦭 ❄️ 🧊 but it's still missing so much of the Southern Ocean. Where are the icebergs? The orcas? The albatrosses? And most importantly... where's the krill? 🦐 What Antarctic emoji would you add first?

Glad to see opposition to @ImpossMetals plans for deep sea mining that don’t seem very possible (or realistic). dsm-campaign.org/briefing-pa… #DeepSeaMining #AmericanSamoa

Over 60,000 petitions, letters and comments oppose Trump's deep-sea mining in Pacific waters. The people of Guam 🇬🇺, American Samoa 🇦🇸, and Northern Marianas 🇲🇵 are standing firm - the future of these waters must be guided by them 🌊 ➡️ dialogue.earth/en/ocean/paci…

#BREAKING: The Trump admin. just moved forward with a plan to sell over 30 million acres off American Samoa for deep-sea mining. This plan is being advanced despite strong public opposition, putting wildlife, fisheries, habitats, and communities at risk: oceana.ly/4pmBPMs

Deep-sea mining threatens over half of molluscs reliant on hydrothermal vents, according to a new @IUCNRedList update. They are found only at depths up to 5,000 metres below sea level, around vents spewing out water that can be over 450 degrees Celsius. Learn more info.iucn.org/3SOEhz8 #IUCNRedList

The #DeepWonders team encountered this curious grenadier fr the genus Coryphaenoides at 1,900m — 2.3 times as deep as the height of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Also known as rattails, most are smaller; this individual was nearly 1m long.

In this blog, Science Communicator and #CorpsofExploration member Amanda Dedicatoria shares an emotional account of her connection with the #MarianaIslands, including the impacts of two recent #typhoons and how we can help with recovery efforts: bit.ly/4w93iUI