Dr. Jesse van der Grient is a quantitative ecologist whose work focuses on how ecosystems connect — across habitats, species, and stressors. She brings a neutral, science-based perspective through her work with the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), a network of experts that does not advocate for or against deep-sea mining, but provides the science needed for informed decision-making.

Jesse puts detials to the biology of the deep ocean and unpacks the interactions of deep-sea ecosystems and what they mean for the future of seabed mining.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Sea Mining and Ecosystems 01:47 Understanding Marine Biodiversity and Management 04:15 Research Journey: From Marine Biology to Deep Sea Mining 06:57 Complex Interactions: Stressors in Marine Environments 09:28 Ecosystem Modeling and Its Challenges 12:42 Ecosystem Services and Fisheries Overlap 15:26 Impacts of Sediment Plumes on Marine Life 18:20 The Role of Indicator Species in Ecosystem Health 21:29 Data Gaps in Deep Sea Research 24:01 Cumulative Impacts and Future Directions 29:01 Ecosystem Insights: Bridging Shallow and Deep Sea Research 33:03 Understanding Deep Sea Ecosystems and Mining Vulnerabilities 37:19 Connectivity in Deep Sea Populations: Implications for Conservation 43:31 Comparing Deep Sea and Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Complex Debate 47:37 Uncertainty in Deep Sea Research: The Need for Comprehensive Sampling 53:30 Risks of Deep Sea Mining: Sedimentation and Species Vulnerability Theme Music Tamarack by Jesse Matas

Key takeaways

* “We need to understand what is being managed… the connections in the deep ocean people don’t always know about or understand very well.”

* “Two stressors can cancel each other out, or they can amplify each other. More often than not, we see synergistic impacts.”

* “Counting parts doesn’t tell you if the car works. In ecosystems, knowing species numbers isn’t enough — we need to know how it functions.”

Links and resources

* Jesse’s Research Gate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jesse-Van-Der-Grient

* Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI): dosi-project.org

* DOSI Minerals Working Group: https://www.dosi-project.org/minerals/

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