--- title: "Scientists Alarmed by Video of Deep Sea Mining Company Spewing Waste Into Ocean" description: "Canadian deep sea mining firm The Metals Company has been accused by its own scientists of meddling with their data and dumping sediment into the ocean." date: "2023-02-06" modified: "2023-02-06" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-deep-sea-mining-waste-ocean" categories: - "Environment" - "Pollution" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "deep sea mining" - "ocean" - "pollution" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Alarmed by Video of Deep Sea Mining Company Spewing Waste Into Ocean ![Canadian deep sea mining firm The Metals Company has been accused by its own scientists of meddling with their data and dumping sediment into the ocean.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Sea-ing is Believing A group of scientists hired by a Canadian firm to monitor its [deep sea mining]() operations was so alarmed by the firm's careless discharging of sediments into the ocean, *The Guardian* [reports]()**,** they covertly recorded the dumping and leaked it to the public. [The footage]() shows sediment streaming out the side of the operation's ship and into the ocean. A closer angle from aboard the vessel reveals the affected water below, where clouds of sediment stir beneath the discolored surface. In addition, the scientists found that the firm, The Metals Company (TMC), fell short of its own environmental monitoring strategy, alleging that TMC didn't properly consider how plumes of sediment are kicked up from the seabed when mining — something that could have a devastating [impact on marine life](). https://twitter.com/Seasaver/status/1613108807751680000? ## Miner Meddling After the video leaked, [TMC acknowledged]() the mishap but blamed it on a technical issue, vowing that the problem was fixed and that the unprompted discharge "did not have the potential to cause serious harm." But the scientists' testimony still casts a looming shadow of doubt over TMC's honesty. They claim that one of the company's subcontractors tried to influence their findings by telling them to collect water samples when there were no sediment plumes. Furthermore, they allege that the subcontractor went off-plan by using a robot to generate a disturbance, meaning their data gathered to assess the company's purported mining techniques was now useless. ## Getting Sedimental As the hunt for rare earth minerals needed to make electric car batteries ramps up, deep sea mining has been touted as a way of obtaining them. But the industry and its practices remain largely opaque, masking the potential harm it does to our oceans. Needless to say, it's an extremely controversial practice that has many concerned over [its potential to erase entire ecosystems](). In particular, scientists are worried about the amount of sediment that deep sea mining releases. As *The Guardian* notes, a high-profile demand for a [moratorium on deep sea mining]() has been signed by over 700 scientists. Nations like France [have voted to outright ban the practice](), with others like Germany and Chile either considering lengthy pauses or signing international moratoriums. TMC is one of the biggest players in the industry, and if it's brazen enough to dump waste even when it's under watch, that justifiably raises more questions over what goes on behind the scenes at the company and its competitors. "We don't know what the consequences of those problems were under the surface of the sea," Catherine Coumans, a research coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, told *The Guardian*. "We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg," she added. "We're not getting transparency." **More on the ocean:** *[Scientists Dye Chunks of Ocean Water Pink for Head-Turning Coastal Experiment]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()