After 3 years of hard work, the MIDAS partnership is meeting for the final time in Gent, Belgium. During this week, MIDAS scientists will present their final results and key outcomes to an open audience, which includes representatives from industry, civil society, regulatory bodies and policy-making circles.
A recent EuroNews report features MIDAS scientists undertaking scientific research into the potential risks to ecosystems posed by deep-sea mining. The film, which was shot on board the RV Pelagia during this summer's MIDAS field testing cruise offshore the Azores, shows some of the experiments that the MIDAS team are undertaking in order to understand the potential effects that mining activity may have on coral physiology and health.
The latest edition of the MIDAS newsletter is now available for download. Containing updates on field expeditions, results from experimental work and the latest policy developments, the MIDAS newsletter is produced 2-3 times per year. Previous editions of the newsletters can be downloaded via the MIDAS newsletters page.
A new paper published in Nature's Science Reports reveals the importance of polymetallic nodules for deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystems in the Clarion Clipperton Zone.
Seas At Risk, in partnership with the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, hosted a multi-stakeholder event in Brussels on 26 April 2016 to explore the present status and future of deep sea mining.
A montage of video clips featuring MIDAS research off the Azores has charted in the AGU Cinema Top 10. The 11-minute film, titled "Exploring the deep sea: towards responsible mining of seabed mineral resources", was compiled from footage taken during the NIOZ MIDAS-Treasure cruise to the Azores in in April 2015. The film explains the formation of seabed mineral resources in the Azores region, and outlines the rationale for the MIDAS and Treasure project research.
On 8 December 2015, the MIDAS project held its second Science-Policy Panel meeting, bringing together scientists with policymakers, NGOs and industry representatives to showcase the latest project results and facilitate open disciussion on key issues. Hosted at the Museum for Natural Sciences in Brussels (and under the gaze of some prehistoric onlookers), the meeting focused on the theme of "maximising potential for ecosystem recovery after deep-sea mining".
To mark the successful completion of the second year of MIDAS, project partners congregated in Sintra, Portugal from 16-20 November 2015. During an intensive week of plenary sessions, workshops and planning meetings, some 65 presentations of data and results were made. The project has made significant progress in its second year, with more than 200 days spent at sea collecting data that will contribute to our knowledge of the potential environmental impacts of deep-sea mining.
