Scientific American:

A new study found more than 5,000 new species in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a mineral-rich area of seafloor that companies aim to mine for critical materials

By Chelsea Harvey

A huge, mineral-rich region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is attracting major international interest because of its potential for deep-sea mining, including for minerals essential to renewable energy technology. But scientists warn that the risks to biodiversity may be higher than previously realized.

New research finds that the zone is home to thousands of different marine species — and the majority of them are new to science. What’s more, the region has been relatively understudied so far, meaning there are likely far more species yet to be discovered.

The new paper, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, provides the first comprehensive “checklist” of species known to exist in the CCZ. The paper synthesizes more than 100,000 records drawn from previous research expeditions to the region over the years. It focuses specifically on benthic metazoans — multicellular animals living at the bottom of the ocean.

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