Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources Stilleweg 2 D-30655 Hannover Germany International Seabed Authority The Secretary-General 14 - 20 Port Royal Street Kingston Jamaica West Indies Environmental Impact Assessment for the testing of a pre-protoype manganese nodule collector vehicle in the Eastern German license area (Clarion-Clipperton Zone) in the framework of the European JPI-O MiningImpact 2 research project Table of contents Executive summary ................................................................................................................................ 7 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Background and rationale ......................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Project proponent and history: German license area .............................................................11 1.3 Objectives and structure of the proposed project ...................................................................12 1.3.1 Biodiversity, connectivity, resilience (WP1) .................................................................13 1.3.2 Fate and toxicity of the sediment plume (WP2) ...........................................................13 1.3.3 Biogeochemistry and ecosystem functioning (WP3) ...................................................14 1.3.4 Data and sample management (WP4) ........................................................................14 1.3.5 Project dissemination and coordination (WP5) ............................................................15 1.3.6 Plume monitoring and habitat/disturbance characterisation (CCT1) ...........................15 1.3.7 Disturbance effects in time and space (CCT2) ............................................................15 1.3.8 Environmental risk assessment and policy recommendations (CCT3) .......................16 1.4 This report ...............................................................................................................................16 2. Policy, legal and administrative context .......................................................................................18 2.1 Applicable mining and environmental legislation, agreements and policies ...........................18 2.2 Relevant international and regional agreements ....................................................................19 2.3 National agreements ...............................................................................................................19 3. Project description ..........................................................................................................................20 3.1 Purpose of the proposed project .............................................................................................20 3.2 Location ...................................................................................................................................20 3.3 Mineral resource estimation ....................................................................................................24 3.4 Description of the pre-prototype collector and testing design .................................................26 3.4.1 General remarks and background ...............................................................................26 3.4.2 Description of the Patania II collector vehicle ..............................................................27 3.4.2.1 Mineral collection technique ........................................................................................... 27 3.4.2.2 Depth of penetration into the seabed ............................................................................. 32 3.4.2.3 Running gear which contacts the seabed ...................................................................... 33 3.4.2.4 Methods for separation of the mineral resource and the sediment ................................ 33 3.4.2.5 Mineral crushing and processing methods at the seabed .............................................. 33 3.4.2.6 Transport of material to the surface ............................................................................... 33 3.4.2.7 Mineral resource separation and processing on the surface vessel ............................... 33 3.4.3 Collector test design ....................................................................................................33 3.4.3.1 Probable duration of the test .......................................................................................... 33 3.4.3.2 Test plan ........................................................................................................................ 33 3.4.3.3 Spatial scale and test design ......................................................................................... 34 4 Table of contents 3.5 Events that could cause suspension or modification of the planned activities ...................... 39 4. Description of the existing physico-chemical environment ...................................................... 40 4.1 Regional overview .................................................................................................................. 40 4.2 Physico-chemical environment in and around the Eastern German license area ................. 43 4.2.1 Geological setting ....................................................................................................... 43 4.2.2 Meteorology ................................................................................................................ 47 4.2.3 Physico-chemical oceanographic setting.................................................................... 50 4.2.3.1 Water column characteristics ......................................................................................... 50 4.2.3.2 Chemical composition of bottom water .......................................................................... 53 4.2.3.3 Upper ocean currents ..................................................................................................... 55 4.2.3.4 The current regime close to the seafloor ........................................................................ 59 4.2.3.5 Controlling factors on abyssal currents and the significant influence of eddies on the abyssal current regime ....................................................................................... 65 4.2.4 Seabed substrate characteristics ................................................................................ 70 4.2.4.1 Dry bulk densities; shear strengths; grain-size analyses ................................................ 70 4.2.4.2 Particle sinking velocities and aggregation .................................................................... 75 4.2.4.3 Pore water and sediment geochemistry ......................................................................... 77 4.2.4.4 Sedimentation rates ....................................................................................................... 82 4.2.5 Natural hazards ........................................................................................................... 82 4.2.6 Noise ........................................................................................................................... 83 5. Description of the existing biological environment .................................................................... 84 5.1 Regional overview .................................................................................................................. 84 5.2 Biological communities in and around the Eastern German license area ............................. 85 5.2.1 Surface ........................................................................................................................ 85 5.2.1.1 Seabirds and marine mammals...................................................................................... 85 5.2.1.2 Phytoplankton ................................................................................................................ 86 5.2.1.3 Zooplankton ................................................................................................................... 86 5.2.2 Midwater ..................................................................................................................... 87 5.2.3 Seafloor ....................................................................................................................... 87 5.2.3.1 Megafaunal diversity ...................................................................................................... 88 5.2.3.2 IRZ vs. PRZ: Faunal composition and population genetic analyses............................... 91 5.2.3.3 Connectivity: Macrofaunal and meiofaunal comparisons between the German and French license areas ............................................................................................ 104 5.2.3.4 Meiofaunal communities and their dependence on abiotic parameters ........................ 109 5.2.3.5 Bioturbation .................................................................................................................. 112 5.2.3.6 Microbes ...................................................................................................................... 113 5.2.3.7 Epifauna ....................................................................................................................... 116 5.2.3.8 Demersal