Implications of sea mining for the Red Sea environment

Abstract

The unique Red Sea environment has up to now been relatively unaffected by polluting consequences of Man’s activities, except for evidence of oil along the coasts and reefs from transiting ships, harbours, industrial and human wastes with growing population and industrialization.

The discovery, in the mid-sixties, of deposits of metalliferous muds, rich in heavy metals, and the probable mining and processing of these was expected to add to the risk of pollution. The Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Commission, entrusted with the development and exploration of these non-living resources, has already set out an environmental study programme, more or less directly related to the conservation of the living marine resources. Within this framework, the studies have focused on the assessment and magnitude of possible risks for the environment resulting from a tailings disposal in the Atlantis II Deep over an extended period of time, and on the development of methods to minimize these risks.

The results obtained so far, indicate that a well-controlled tailings disposal below 1 000 metre water depth would keep the environmental impact of such an operation in acceptable dimensions. But it is hoped that the forthcoming Pilot Mining Operations will be capable of clarifying some uncertainties through further computer modelling, monitoring a full scale tailings disposal test, using realistic input conditions and evaluation of the ecosystem.