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standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

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?? Avoiding the disturbance <strong>of</strong> the more consolidated suboxic<br />

sediment layer,<br />

?? Reducing the mass <strong>of</strong> sediment swirled up into the near-bottom<br />

water layer,<br />

?? Inducing a high rate <strong>of</strong> resedimentation from the plume behind the<br />

miner,<br />

?? Minimizing the transport <strong>of</strong> sediment <strong>and</strong> abraded nodule fines to<br />

the ocean surface,<br />

?? Reducing the discharge <strong>of</strong> tailings into bathyal or abyssal depths,<br />

<strong>and</strong><br />

?? Reducing the drift <strong>of</strong> tailings by increasing their sedimentation rate.<br />

5.2. Some unanswered questions<br />

1. What type <strong>of</strong> mining system or systems likely to be developed over the<br />

next 20 years can be a basis for <strong>environmental</strong> tests?<br />

2. How do we categorize <strong>and</strong> identify pollutant or effluent discharges from<br />

the ship, buffer <strong>and</strong> miner/collector resulting from l<strong>and</strong> processing <strong>and</strong><br />

at-sea processing?<br />

3. Given answers to questions 1 <strong>and</strong> 2, how do we develop an approach<br />

to disturbance-flow simulation models or component-disturbance tests<br />

above the seafloor, <strong>and</strong> verify the simulation models?<br />

4. How do we generalize the test parameters from the tow-sled collector<br />

<strong>and</strong> miner/collector vehicle?<br />

5. How much room do we leave in <strong>environmental</strong> test planning for<br />

unidentified deep-sea questions?<br />

6. How do we integrate the test <strong>data</strong> on bottom disturbance <strong>and</strong> other<br />

effects into ecologically safe (environment-friendly) mining-system<br />

design <strong>and</strong> operations?<br />

484<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY

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