At present almost all the metals and industrial minerals utilized to manufacture consumer goods and machinery are extracted from onshore resources. In an effort to become independent of imports and safeguard themselves from future supply shortages, some countries are contemplating mining such resources from the ocean. But underwater mining is still too expensive and there is uncertainty about its environmental impact.
Manganese nodule treasures
> Many thousands of square kilometres of the deep-sea floor are covered by metal-bearing nodules. They contain primarily manganese, but also nickel, cobalt and copper, which makes them economically promising. Although many countries and companies are already intensively investigating their distribution, it is not certain whether the manganese nodules will ever be mined. After all, at least for the intermediate future, there are enough metals available on land.
Metal-rich crusts
> Cobalt crusts are a promising resource on the sea floor because they contain large amounts of cobalt, nickel, manganese and other metals that could exceed the content in land deposits. They form on the rocky surfaces of undersea rises. For their extraction, machines are required that can separate the material from the substrate. To date, however, only conceptual studies exis
manganese , calcium , Salt 3 mineral resources can be harvested from the ocean
Aspects such as genetic engineering have allowed for
engineering of transgenic organisms such as bacteria to produce bioproducts
such as insulin to addresses medical disorders
such as diabetes. Another is the innovation of whole-genome sequencing that allows researchers
to determine genetic predisposition of a particular person to particular diseases.
Air-sea exchange is a physio-chemical process and is important for the cycling of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, dimethylsulfide and ammonia
