Beneath the Waves: The Science and Technology of Deep-Sea Mining YouTube video by House Science, Space, and Technology Committee

Watch the House Committee Hearing "Beneath the Waves: The Science and Technology of Deep-Sea Mining" Live on YouTube now (Tuesday, March 26 at 10am Eastern) #deepseamining 🌊
www.youtube.com/live/pf6fnin...

Congrats Neil! The Academy needs 1. More fish science and 2. A visit from Stephen Colbert. I mean, and 3. Great leadership etc.

Curious about a political economy analysis of #DeepSeaMining? Check out next Monday’s COBRA webinar - more info here: cobra.bigelow.org/cobra-webina...

Lots of chatter by two deep-sea mining CEOs on this panel about the urgency to mine seabed for stock piling & natural security purposes. Then @drandrewthaler.bsky.social comes in with....

"... and the cheapest place to stockpile a polymetallic nodule is to leave it on the seafloor.” 💥

Photo of Kristina Gjerde in front of a rocky coastline.

We are grieving the loss of Kristina Gjerde, who passed away yesterday, 26 December 2025, of cancer. She was a lawyer — graceful, thoughtful, and elegantly articulate — who championed the Ocean, particularly the deep sea. Read our full statement here: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

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I’ll likely have to take cough breaks to sip my tea & blow my nose, as the plague & I are @agu.org but I hope you’ll join me at 1030 Wednesday for my lecture. I’ll talk about Carson’s impact on science & my career, subseafloor life, microbial ecosystem services, & science storytelling! #AGU25

Yes!

Words showing 5 ocean depths

A blanket

A blanket

A blanket

I have no words- newly minted Dr. Sabrina Elkassas @whoi.edu
made me this stunning scientifically accurate blanket, depicting 5 zones of the ocean column. I’m not sure what I did to earn such a beautiful gift, but it now graces my bed. I’m amazed by her brilliant talent as a scientist & artist! 🌊

First study of its kind finds deep-sea mining waste threatens life and foodwebs in the ocean's dim 'twilight zone' A new study led by researchers at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Mānoa published in Nature Communications is the first of its kind to show that waste discharged from deep-sea mining operations in the Pacific's biodiverse Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) could disrupt marine life in the midwater "twilight zone"—a vital region 200–1,500 meters below sea level that supports vast communities of zooplankton, tiny animals that serve as the ocean's basic food building blocks.

Deep-sea mining waste in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone may disrupt the ocean's twilight zone food webs by reducing the nutritional quality of particles vital to zooplankton and micronekton.

Woman on the beach smiling

Sunny beach

The clocks fell back this weekend & I’m facing a winter of fighting my seasonal depression. Today was easy- I live by a sparkly sea that lifts my spirits & she was at her glittery best. Only 4 (long) months until we are on the better side of this…
#seasonaldepression #sun #ocean #walk #timechange

The paper you just handled for us was from 2013! And I’m still hoping to get stuff out from 2009!

Congratulations to WHOI's @julesdeep.bsky.social, who was recently selected to deliver the prestigious @agu.org Rachel Carson Lecture.

The award recognizes women whose work in ocean science is both cutting-edge and deeply relevant to today’s societal & environmental challenges: go.whoi.edu/Huber

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Julie Huber Awarded Prestigious Rachel Carson Lecture by the American Geophysical Union WHOI’s Julie Huber Awarded Prestigious Rachel Carson Lecture by the AGU

My life changed when I first read "The Sea Around Us." Rachel Carson's words captured my 13-yr old sense of wonder for a place I barely knew but felt for so deeply, the ocean. Honored to speak to her legacy @agu.org and grateful to my colleagues for the nomination 🌊💙

www.whoi.edu/press-room/n...

"The strength of WHOI's science is in its people."

It was true in the time of our first director, Henry Bigelow—and it's true today. We wouldn't be leaders in ocean science + engineering without our dedicated + talented staff.

👉🏽This Labor Day, get to know the #HumansofWHOI: go.whoi.edu/humans

Exploring the seabed? Here, have an exploitation permit too. NOAA moves to bundle exploration with commercial recovery permits

Seabed Spotlight by is essential reading for anyone following deep-sea mining.

Exploring the seabed? Here, have an exploitation permit too.

Watchdog Group Downgrades U.S. From Democracy To Whatever Political System Lobsters Have WASHINGTON—Describing the shift as a troubling indicator for the health of the nation’s system of governance, watchdog group Freedom House published a report Wednesday downgrading the United States fr...

Watchdog Group Downgrades U.S. From Democracy To Whatever Political System Lobsters Have via @theonion.com — theonion.com/watchdog-gro...

🚨 REMINDER: The abstract submission deadline for #AGU25 has been EXTENDED to TODAY at 5:00PM ET!

Submit your abstract today: buff.ly/BUyEjhU

It only took me 8 minutes to get into the abstract submission site this morning, with 12 hrs left to go. Join us @agu.org #AGU25 for this important & timely session on deep-sea research!!!

COMIC: Exploring the ocean's wonderous, mysterious depths Did you know that we know less about the sea than we do about space? With this comic, we explore some of what scientists do know about Earth's ocean.

🧪🌊

Opinion | Why U.S. dominance at sea is shrinking The U.S. still has an advantage on the waves, but ocean science needs more — not less — investment.

Read this from @pdemenocal.bsky.social, @msleinen.bsky.social, and John Richardson, retired Navy admiral, whose son was my student, about how investing in ocean science is not just about curiosity, but about ensuring our future readiness, resilience, and national security. 🌊

The Senate just posted the report language of its FY26 science appropriations bill. This text lays out what they want done and carries the force of law if it is included in the final spending bill.

It's a line-by-line refutation of Trump's proposed budget for NASA and NOAA.

This was a very scary but incredibly positive experience for me-connecting to the deeply personal, funny, & scary parts of our scientific journeys. I encourage you to listen as intended- full long form radio, with host @jayall.bsky.social & live music. Links at end of article. #stemstories @prx.org

I ❤️ Ron

This resonates- & despite being a vegetarian, I have leaned into Beef more than Bear the last few years. Given *all the things* & the reality of supporting my family, I’m still figuring out the right balance, but preparing the next generation & passing the torch is centered for certain.

Senate spending panel would rescue NSF and NASA science funding Its support for a flat budget is a sign of congressional resistance to drastic cuts Trump has proposed

One small step... Senate appropriators indicate they plan to protect NSF and NASA science from Trump's drastic cuts. www.science.org/content/arti...

Subcommittee Markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

🧪 BREAKING (good news): Senate subcommittee says NO! to Trump's proposed slashes to NASA & NSF funding.

Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.

See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.

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ISA Web TV - International Seabed Authority

Today, once again, representatives from 169 nations will meet in Kingston, Jamaica to continue negotiating the rules and regulations for deep-sea mining in the high seas.

I'm watching at www.isa.org.jm/the-authorit... and there's an outside chance I'll be there in person later this month.

Fantastic Microbes and Where to Find Them Some microbes happily thrive in unforgiving environments. An extremophile hunt is underway to leverage their resilience tactics, from medicine to space exploration.

From @lauraatran.bsky.social in The Scientist--

www.the-scientist.com/fantastic-mi...

Socioeconomic status is so important to consider! Thanks for this excellent piece @drcraigmc.bsky.social !

It's not just #NIH. It's not just #NSF. It's not just #NASA.

The whole scientific community has to make clear that all science across fed agencies is being destroyed in the US.

We can't just ask for our particular piece of the pie. The whole pie is being thrown out - saving your bit won't work.