title: Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally.
abstract: The mining sector is growing in parallel with societal demands for minerals. One of the most important environmental issues and economic burdens of industrial mining on land is the safe storage of the vast amounts of waste produced. Traditionally, tailings have been stored in land dams, but the lack of land availability, potential risk of dam failure and topography in coastal areas in certain countries results in increasing disposal of tailings into marine systems. This review describes the different submarine tailing disposal methods used in the world in general and in Norway in particular, their impact on the environment (e.g. hyper-sedimentation, toxicity, processes related to changes in grain shape and size, turbidity), current legislation and need for future research. Understanding these impacts on the habitat and biota is essential to assess potential ecosystem changes and to develop best available techniques and robust management plans.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research, NIVA, Gaustadalléen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: eva.ramirez@niva.no.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Llodra
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research, NIVA, Gaustadalléen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: hilde.trannum@niva.no.
authors.forename: Hilde C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Trannum
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: Anita.Evenset@akvaplan.niva.no.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evenset
authors.affiliation: Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0218, USA. Electronic address: llevin@sio.ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: Geological Survey of Norway, Postboks 6315 Sluppen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: malin.andersson@ngu.no.
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Geological Survey of Norway, Postboks 6315 Sluppen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: tor.finne@ngu.no.
authors.forename: Tor Erik
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Finne
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: ahilario@ua.pt.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hilario
authors.affiliation: Geological Survey of Norway, Postboks 6315 Sluppen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: belinda.flem@ngu.no.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flem
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: guttorm.christensen@akvaplan.niva.no.
authors.forename: Guttorm
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research, NIVA, Gaustadalléen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: morten.schaaning@niva.no.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaanning
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: ann.vanreusel@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vanreusel
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D007220:Industrial Waste; D008906:Mining / Q000379:methods*; D009664:Norway; D012623:Seawater; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D018505:Waste Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste
keywords: Environment; Impact; Mining; Submarine; Tailing; Waste