Inexpensive seafloor-hopping submersibles could stoke deep-sea science—and mining

Orpheus Ocean, a WHOI spinoff, has developed small autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) designed to explore the deep seafloor at a fraction of the cost of existing options. At a few hundred thousand dollars each versus $5–10 million for traditional vehicles, the submersibles can dive to 6,000 meters, hop along the seafloor, and collect sediment cores. NOAA is currently deploying two of them in the Pacific to map over 8,000 square nautical miles in search of critical mineral deposits. Scientists see the technology as a way to democratize deep-sea research, while mining companies are also showing strong interest. Researchers caution that the push for seabed mining is moving too fast given how little is known about deep-sea ecosystems and how slowly they recover from disturbance.