German GEOMAR Expands Global Nodule Field Maps

German GEOMAR research expedition scientist on vessel SONNE announced the finding of a massive magnesium nodule filed in the Atlantic Ocean. To the date large nodules fields were identified mainly in basins of the Pacific and Indian.Oceans. 

International press reported on February 19th that a strange large field of “metal spheres” were discovered in the ocean. Despite there is nothing strange about the “metal spheres” the fact that the field of nodules was discovered in the Atlantic waters does cause interest among the ocean community and sure attracted interest of large mining companies. 

GEOMAR´s press release while providing diverse details on the expedition and finding kept silent the specific location of the field of nodules and to themselves the complete imagery of the area. 

Sonne Vessel was actually on a deep sea organism search expedition when they came across the nodule field in January. Nodule fields -formed of metallic components which take millions of years to form are not uncommon sightings in several ocean floors around the world.  The team of Geomar encountered the field through trawling operations. 

Geomar assures to have photographed the area, recovered nodules and other data. The field is located somewhere in the Tropical Atlantic Waters about 5,000 to 5,500 meters below surface waters. 

“The crew discovered their gear was getting caught up on unknown objects. When the equipment returned to the surface, they were stunned to find that it was actually manganese nodules from a deposit much larger than any previously discovered in that ocean,” Geomar press release explained. 

The joint announcement was made by the University of Hamburg and Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany.

"We did not expect that at this point," lead scientist Colin Devey said in the press release. 

"Manganese nodules are found in all oceans. But the largest deposits are known to occur in the Pacific. Nodules of this size and density in the Atlantic are not known," says Devey. 

The biologists on board expressed enthusiasm: "This discovery shows us how little we know of the seabed of the abyssal ocean, and how many exciting discoveries are still waiting for us," says Prof. Dr. Angelika Brandt the Center for Natural History at the University of Hamburg. 

Mining interest in nodule exploitation and nodule mining investigation has been going on since their discovery. From the 1970s the investigations have intensified. Still today the mining sector recognizes that nodule mining exploitation is not a rentable nor profitable endeavor. Billions of dollars have been spent in investigation of the full aspects of nodule ocean mining reaping still red lines in the final ends of projects. 

International ocean legislation -such as laws of the International Seabed Authority ISA and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS aim to protect international sea beds and ocean floors as valuable environments which require protection. Nodules form a scientific point of view have increased value for their ability to act as archives of time as they take millions of years to be formed. 

Countries and international interests on ocean nodules today and historically have been sourced from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and others including France, Japan, Soviet Union, India and China. 

“Manganese nodules are scientifically of great interest since they can be used as climate and environmental archives,” Geomar stated. 

The crew and scientists aboard the vessel Sonne assure that their finding could “dwarf all previously known manganese nodule fields in the Atlantic”.

With growth rates of between one to five millimeters in a million years, some of the modules could be 10 million years old. Taking millions of year to form through complex precipitation, decantation, sedimentation, erosion, dynamics, chemical cycles and other events ocean nodules turn spherical and grow in size millimeter by millimeter over the long years. Sphere next to sphere they populate an area creating mysterious impression and fascinating fields. Depending on the field nodules may contain or vary in element composition ranging from copper, magnesium cobalt,zinc, sulphates and others. Fields are usually found at depths deblow 4 thousand meters. 

Inspired by the “accidental” finding in 2015 several cruises of the SONNE are planned to explore the manganese nodule fields in the Pacific, among others, to clarify the role of the manganese nodules on the seafloor ecosystems and which environmental risks would result from a possible exploitation of the nodules.The expedition will end in Santo Domingo capital of Dominican Republic.

"We will continue our planned program. But the samples obtained here will definitely be examined in detail in our land-based laboratories. We are now excited to see what surprises the Atlantic might still hold for us," says Professor Devey.