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/
