Mining companies are eager to dig up the ocean. That's a dangerous idea | Wendy Schmidt and Kristina Gjerde

We already know the damage that mining can cause on land. It could be devastating to the deep seaThousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, so deep that sunlight can't penetrate, magma seeping through the Earth's crust mixes with cold saltwater and creates a chemical reaction. The resulting hydrothermal vent spews water at temperatures upwards of 500F. Surrounding the vent - and other underwater landscapes - are small knobs containing copper, cobalt and other minerals precious for renewable energy batteries.This spring, scientists embarked on a search for new underwater formations aboard the Falkor (too), a research vessel operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which one of us co-founded. Zooming in on three newly discovered hydrothermal vent fields with an underwater robot, the scientists found something unexpected. Continue reading...