In January 2026, the deepest seabed mining test in history took place in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. The Japanese vessel Chikyu — the world’s largest scientific drilling rig — extracted rare earth-rich mud from the seafloor, 6,000 meters below the surface. These muds contain elements such as Dysprosium, Yttrium, and Terbium. Using Deep-Sea Mining Watch — a transparency platform developed by the @UCSBenioffOcean and @GlobalFishWatch — researchers were able to track the Chikyu’s journey from port to the mining site and monitor the vessel across its two weeks of operations. Satellite imagery captured a visible surface plume stretching kilometers behind the vessel. Scientists say these discharge plumes, created when wastewater is released back into the ocean after extraction activity, could disrupt fragile deep-sea ecosystems. As this emerging industry develops, transparency will be critical for holding deep-sea mining operators accountable while helping to assess impacts. By combining vessel tracking data with satellite imagery, tools like Deep-Sea Mining Watch can help scientists, policymakers and the public understand what is happening in one of the most remote parts of our planet. Explore the activity yourself: https:/www.deepseaminingwatch.msi.ucsb.edu/