Norway needs to know much more before actually mining the deep sea
Norway’s law on mining seabed minerals is too unclear, the knowledge base too flimsy, and the Storting’s White Paper on seabed mining does not hold water.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Life Below Water
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Norway will be the first in the world to approve seabed mining. Is it a good idea?
The transition to a greener, renewable economy will require large amounts of minerals, and society has to get them from somewhere. Norwegian politicians have reached an agreement approving deep sea mining, in a proposal that has reaped both cheers and frustration from scientists and activists alike. Here’s what our scientists think.
Cultivated kelp can now be as good as wild kelp
Norway already exports large amounts of valuable alginate, but new research findings can make this industry even larger and more sustainable.
Researchers surprised at levels of toxicity in standard plastic products
Tonnes of waste from standard plastic products have been uncontrollably released into the world’s oceans, where they gradually break down. But how harmful is this plastic to living organisms, and what is it in these plastics that is so damaging?
Who should collect, manage and have access to data from the oceans?
Research institutions from Norway and other countries have collected a great amount of data from the northern oceans in recent years. Many people want access to this information.
Early whaling eradicated species from local waters
Several whale species disappeared from Europe long before whaling became a major industry. Two of the most common species are no longer found here, and one of them is almost extinct.
Salmon that eat salmon are more environmentally friendly
We should use all parts of whole farmed salmon and keep more of the residuals here in Norway. Researchers say this will help protect the environment while ensuring salmon welfare.
A paradigm in conducting hazardous and innovative basic research
NTNU Amos is an expansive ocean research and innovation community that’s composed of both highly honed specialist expertise and an incredibly broad scope of knowledge. It also adheres to a popular Norwegian football strategy: Develop talents by allowing them to do what they do best – and playing to each other’s strengths.
New guidelines for a greener seafood sector
The aquaculture sector can now download a set of guidelines containing 25 ideas about the circular use of plastics.
New test arena opened for seafaring robots
The Nyhavna industrial area in Trondheim, which is being developed into a new mixed-use neighbourhood, has seen significant maritime technology research and innovation. NTNU Nyhavna for autonomous vessels is now officially opened.
Listening to Leviathans
Nineteenth-century Norwegian technology helped bring large whale populations to the brink of extinction. Can 21st-century technology help save them?
Marine plastic waste can spread antimicrobial resistance
Bacteria discharged to the oceans in sewage and wastewater thrive on the biofilms that form on plastic waste. This may be leading to the somewhat unanticipated problem of antimicrobial resistance.
Norway needs a ‘salmon feed revolution’
The issue of salmon feed has become a bottleneck, hindering the growth and sustainability of the Norwegian aquaculture sector. In the future, insect meal, bristle worms and bacteria that consume CO2 may become essential components of a farmed salmon’s diet.
Small snail looking to be big business
Researchers have succeeded in nurturing a small snail called periwinkles in the laboratory for the very first time and are hoping that this French delicacy might be the launch pad for a new, Norwegian aquaculture business.
Teaching the world how hydropower development can safeguard fish populations
SINTEF researcher Marcell Szabo-Meszaros is the man behind the international study ‘Hydropower and Fish – a Roadmap for Best Practice Management’, which offers guidelines on fish population protection in rivers to companies carrying out hydropower developments.
Into the depths of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic researchers have travelled north to study ice and life in the Arctic Ocean. They discovered a creature at a depth of 3500 metres, a “dumbo octopus” dancing in the deep waters in a ballerina’s skirt.
Learning to trace salmon lice
Is it only farmed fish that are responsible for spreading salmon lice larvae? Or is it also possible that wild salmon can infect farmed fish? This is what researchers will be trying to find out.
Need to know much more about deep sea mining
The Norwegian government has proposed opening an area of the continental shelf to deep sea mining. NTNU researchers have worked for more than a decade on this issue. They say we have much to learn before Norway can decide if this can become a viable industry.
Fish farming: this new vessel concept will assist open ocean aquaculture
The aim is to extract the most efficient performance from all the various vessels utilised by the aquaculture sector at facilities exposed to rough seas and strong currents. Researchers have been looking into all aspects of this issue.
New video offers a peek into Lake Mjøsa shipwreck
The discovery of what may be Mjøsa’s oldest known shipwreck to date drew international attention just before last Christmas. The researchers have now secured a video of “Storfjorden I.”
Gaining a better overview of life on earth
Approximately 47 000 different species have been identified in Norway – and there are probably many more. A new tool can help us gain a better overview.
Tracking whales as they cruise the Arctic
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to track eight fin whales in near real time for five hours, as they swam along a stretch of fibre-optic cable line in the Arctic. The breakthrough suggests that fibre-optic cable networks could be harnessed to help prevent whale deaths by ship strikes.
The New Atlantis – more and more of the world is underwater
Most of our planet is underwater – and steadily more will be underwater in the years to come. What do we really know about the underwater world?
Bacteria could make salmon healthier
Bacteria-free fish fry put researchers on the track of how they could make fish more disease resistant.