230 * Marine Minerals: Exploring Our New Ocean Frontier 



Box 6-C.— Project NOMES 



The New England Offshore Mining EnvironmentcJ Study (Project NOMES) was begun in 1972 in an 

 attempt to clarify the environmental impacts associated with marine mining. Uncertainties about the extent, 

 severity, and permanence of negative effects of offshore activities highlighted by the Santa Barbara, CA oU 

 spill had led to a moratorium on offshore mining. NOMES was a joint study sponsored by the Common- 

 wejilth of Massachusetts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A 1-year study of base- 

 line conditions at a sand and gravel deposit centered in Massachusetts Bay at 40° 21 '41 " N, 70° 47 '10" W, 

 was to be followed by a period of well-monitored commercial-scale mining. Two years of post-experiment 

 monitoring were planned to document mining-induced changes in the seafloor and water column as well as 

 jJterations resulting from natural processes. 



The project was terminated in 1973 because a suitable disposal area had not been identified by the Com- 

 monwealth for the 1 million cubic yards of sand and gravel to be mined during the planned 1974 test. The 

 principal investigators were funded through a project wrap-up phase; two were funded an additional year 

 to study baseline conditions in plankton and benthic organisms. 



The principal research in Stage 2 would have involved: 



• Modeling the distribution of suspended sediment. 



• Studying chemical interactions between sediments and water: e.g., release of nutrients and toxic sub- 

 stances to the water, and the effect of suspended particles on the scattering and absorption of light. 



• Studying energetic relationships in organisms stressed by the presence of sediments: physical and/or 

 chemical effects on respiration, photosynthesis, assimilation, feeding rates, and reproductive potenticJ 

 in adults, juveniles, and larvae of key species (including benthic invertebrates, benthic algae, zooplankton, 

 phytoplankton, and fish). 



Recommendations 



1. Laboratory studies of the effects of turbidity on marine organisms should be continued. This work 

 should be broadened to include nonphysiological responses, such as organisms' avoidance of a turbidity plume. 

 Results may be extremely relevant to local commercial fishermen. 



2. Once a site has been agreed upon, a 2-year period should be devoted to pre-mining studies — at least 

 the first time. The first year should be devoted to the development of sound sampling and test procedures 

 for coordinated use the second year. The mam focus of the baseline studies should be the long-term effects 

 of a change in substrate characteristics caused by the blanket of fine materials. 



3. The mining test should be at a commercial scale and should continue for at least 1 year. A brief period 

 of mining should not be extrapolated to long-term mining. 



4. Although the period of mining must be well-monitored, the post-mining environment can be exam- 

 ined less frequently but should continue for at least 2 years. 



SOURCE: J.W. Padan (ed.), New England Offshore Mining Environmental Study (Project NOMES), U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration (Seattle, WA: April 1977). 



At the OTA Workshop on Environmental Con- 

 cerns, ^^ participating scientists agreed that the only 

 way to resolve such controversy is to monitor at 

 a site before, during, and after a mining operation. 

 Additionally, workshop participants pointed out 

 that commercial mining at a fixed location will dis- 

 turb the environment for a much longer period of 

 time than transient dredging operations; partici- 

 pants expressed concern that in the United States 

 "the experiment had not been done." 



In Europe, where sand and gravel mining has 

 proceeded for some time, monitoring studies con- 

 cluded that if the nature and structure of the sub- 

 strate do not differ substantially before and after 

 dredging, the seabottom communities will probably 

 recover successfully from the effects.*" Recovery 

 generally starts within months of cessation of min- 

 ing, with full recovery within 2 to 3 years. During 

 actual mining, increased turbidity in the water 



"Oct. 29, 1986, Washington, D.C. 



'"S.J. de Groot, ' 'Marine Sand and Gravel Extraction in the North 

 Atlantic and its Potential Environmental Impact, with Emphasis on 

 the North Sea," Ocean Management, No. 10 (1986), pp. 21-36. 



