Rhiarna Dhaliwal: Extracts of the Abyss

The deepest areas of our oceans, once considered alien abysses distant from our lives, are currently at the centre of debates on green energy and submarine biodiversity. The presence of valuable metals and minerals on the sea floor – including cobalt and nickel – has drawn the attention of mining companies hoping to use them in ‘green’ technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels. However, as with mining for fossil fuels, the extraction of these metals may have damaging environmental consequences for the animal species living in the deep, as well as nearby island communities.

Rhiarna’s research dives into this contested terrain and introduces us to microscopic creatures and polymetallic nodules: mineral-rich rocks found on the sea floor. She draws from cutting-edge biological research to discredit perceptions of the deep sea as an empty space primed for mining and takes us closer to those lively marine depths.