A central focus will be to facilitate the integration of results from the multiple disciplines and groups towards tangible outcomes for marine policy. This includes discussing preliminary data from the BGR exploration campaign MANGAN2026 aboard RV Sonne, conducted early this year as well as from previous expeditions in 2019, 2021, and 2022 that investigated the test areas of the first industrial polymetallic nodule collector trial. Discussions will examine the emerging evidence on ecosystem responses, as well as natural spatial and temporal variability in abyssal nodule habitats.
Participants will also finalize preparations for the upcoming SO322 NoduleMonitor3 expedition aboard RV Sonne that will revisit impact and reference sites of the collector trial after 5.5 years to assess longer-term ecosystem responses to deep-sea mining disturbances, including ecotoxicological and cumulative effects. The expedition will also expand the scarce data on the mesopelagic realm of the north-eastern equatorial Pacific.
The final day of the Annual Meeting is dedicated to a structured stakeholder dialogue aiming at identifying key future research priorities for evidence-based policy development.
On 10 September, the meeting of the MiningImpact3 International Engagement Hub will bring together the project and an international advisory group.
Discussions will focus on:
- upcoming project policy activities for which external advice would be particularly valuable;
- relevant international policy developments that offer opportunities for additional engagement.
Both meetings will support coordination across the MiningImpact3 research project while strengthening dialogue between scientists, policymakers, authorities, industry, NGOs, and civil society concerned with deep-sea mining and its environmental consequences.