Intensive nickel mining has transformed microbial biodiversity of Thio Lagoon in New Caledonia

A study carried out by scientists from Ifremer, IRD, the universities of Western Brittany (UBO) and Bordeaux, CNRS, and the University of Tartu (Estonia) reveals the impact of nickel mining on the coastal ecosystems of New Caledonia. Published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, this research shows that starting in the 1950s, the mechanization of mining operations led to a sharp increase in sediment inputs into the Thio Lagoon and a disruption of microbial communities that persists to this day.