Overview
ISO 23730:2022 - Marine technology - Marine environment impact assessment (MEIA) - General technical requirements provides general technical guidance for conducting marine environment impact assessments (MEIA) focused on the environmental effects of deep‑sea exploration and exploitation for mineral resources. The standard addresses practical, technical aspects of MEIA (survey planning, data collection, analysis and monitoring) but does not cover legal frameworks or deep‑sea activities for energy resources.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Cost‑effective operation: Plan MEIA activities alongside exploration to reduce ship time and expense; begin baseline data collection early in exploration cruises.
- Baseline data & habitat mapping: Use GIS mapping, underwater vehicles with acoustic positioning, imaging, sample collection and seafloor observatories to establish baseline conditions and faunal distribution. Metadata and data provenance are required for completeness.
- Estimation of impacts: Identify potential impacts from seabed mining operations (mining machines, ore transport, fluid discharge) while accounting for natural variability (physicochemical fluctuations, geophysical events) to avoid confounding results.
- Estimation of resilience: Assess biological recoverability and genetic connectivity (larval dispersal) as indicators of ecosystem resilience; use modelling approaches to estimate community recoverability.
- Monitoring: Define long‑term monitoring targets such as sediment plume dispersion, soundscape/noise, discharged fluid pollution and post‑mining site recovery. Cost‑effective monitoring techniques include imaging (cameras) and hydrophones for soundscape assessment.
Practical applications and users
ISO 23730 is designed for practical use in planning and executing MEIA for deep‑sea mineral activities. Typical users include:
- Marine technology engineers and survey teams planning deep‑sea cruises and vehicle deployments
- Environmental consultants conducting baseline assessments and EIAs for seabed mining proposals
- Mining operators developing monitoring and mitigation plans for exploration and exploitation activities
- Regulators and policymakers seeking technical criteria for assessment and monitoring requirements
- Researchers and GIS specialists involved in habitat mapping, modelling resilience and long‑term ecological monitoring
Use cases include designing integrated exploration and environmental surveys, developing habitat maps, quantifying impacts and resilience, and implementing long‑term soundscape and plume monitoring programs.
Related standards
ISO 23730 references and complements other standards and guidance, for example:
Keywords: ISO 23730:2022, MEIA, marine environment impact assessment, deep‑sea mining, habitat mapping, baseline data, monitoring, sediment plume, soundscape, GIS mapping.
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