GEOMAR  Discover  Marine Resources

During a MiningImpact expedition, the deep-sea robot ROV KIEL 6000 uses a gripper arm to remove a manganese nodule covered with a sponge for later analysis in the laboratory.
During a MiningImpact expedition, the deep-sea robot ROV KIEL 6000 uses a gripper arm to remove a manganese nodule covered with a sponge for later analysis in the laboratory. Photo: ROV KIEL 6000/GEOMAR

Marine Resources

Can massive sulphides, manganese nodules and cobalt-rich crusts at the bottom of the deep sea help meet the global demand for rare metals? Can energy be extracted safely from gas hydrates? What natural substances does marine life and related microbiomes produce? Are sweet water supplies hidden beneath the seabed? The search for new resources for a growing society is closely linked to questions of safe, environmentally compatible and sustainable use. GEOMAR is therefore researching in particular the effects of the development of raw material sources on the seabed and possibilities of environmental monitoring.

 

Massive Sulphides
Source of Raw Material at Black Smokers

Manganese Nodules
Rich Mineral Fields on the Seabed

Cobalt-rich Crusts
Ore Treasure on the Slope of Seamounts

MiningImpact
Monitoring of the Environmental Impacts of Deep-Sea Mining

News about Marine Resources

A metal gripper arm grips a piece of rock on the seabed
18.12.2023

Hydrothermal Mercury – the natural story of a contaminant

Human influences are responsible for the majority of mercury pollution in the ocean

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GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes and Sebastian Unger, German Federal Government Commissioner for the Ocean
12.09.2023

Joining forces for our ocean

Federal Government Commissioner for the Ocean Sebastian Unger and GEOMAR researchers discuss important issues of protection and sustainable use of the ocean

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Recovery of the remotely operated vehicle ROV Kiel 6000 during the SONNE expedition SO229.
02.06.2023

A dive to the ore factories of the deep sea

SONNE expedition with ROV KIEL 6000 studies ore formation in Papua New Guinea

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Gravity corer on board the research vessel SONNE.
25.10.2022

Linking climatic changes and geological processes at the sea floor

GEOMAR and Harvard scientists receive European Research Council Synergy Grant

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Measurements on the ship
23.06.2022

Gas eruption of the past helps to understand the ocean floor

Study investigates natural pathways of gases in the North Sea

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[Translate to English:] Kernthema Gefahren und Nutzen des Meeresbodens: Wie können wir marine Naturgefahren frühzeitig erkennen und Ressourcen vom Meeresboden verantwortungsvoll nutzen?

Core Theme Ocean Threats and Benefits
How can we forecast marine natural hazards and use resources from the seafloor in a responsible way?

 

Visual IRF Metals in the Ocean

Research Focus Metals in the Ocean
Metals in marine systems are both resources and nutrients, but also indicators of ocean circulation and climate history.

 

Visual Georesources

Georesources for the Energy Transition and a High-Tech Society
Topic 8 of the Helmholtz Research programme „Changing Earth - Sustaining our Future"

 

Brochure: Mineral Resources of the Deep Sea
Mineral Resources of the Deep Sea: Brochure on the formation, economic potential and ecological risks of a possible extraction of resources from the deep sea (PDF, as of 2020)
Visual WOR3: Marine Resources – Opportunities and Risks
WOR3: Marine Resources – Opportunities and Risks. The third issue of the World Ocean Review is devoted to marine resources – metals and energy – and their utilizationg.

  • GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
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    Fon 0431 600-2807
    Mail media(at)geomar.de