'Teeming with life': Cook Islands officials enthuse over NOAA deep dive
A NOAA expedition to the Cook Islands has uncovered new marine life and extensive polymetallic nodule fields on the seabed. The data collected will serve as a baseline for the region as it considers the potential environmental impacts of deep-sea mining.
Why it matters
The findings provide critical scientific data for Pacific nations currently debating the economic benefits versus environmental risks of deep-sea resource extraction.
A 26-day deep sea expedition in the Cook Islands by a United States scientific agency has uncovered new information about marine life and seabed minerals within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer returned to Rarotonga this week after carrying out research in the western Cook Islands where little to no prior data exists.
The expedition conducted 14 remotely operated vehicle dives, collecting more than 400 samples and sub-samples, exploring seamounts, abyssal plains and areas of the Manihiki Plateau.
Researchers aboard collected more than 23 biological specimens, some of which are believed to be new to science.
The information is being gathered at a time when the US administration has made no secret of its desire to explore the potential of minerals on the Cook Islands' deep seabed.
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