About Deep Dive

ISA’s e-learning platform

The Deep Dive e-learning platform is an important capacity development initiative of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), aligned with the ISA mandate to design and implement mechanisms to build capacity for developing States, in particular landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), least developing countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). It is unique in that it responds directly to the needs and requirements identified by ISA member States to ensure the relevance of this educational opportunity, its long-term benefits and overall impact towards the individuals, their organizations and countries.

Developed together with renowned international experts and with the support of several partners, the Deep Dive online curriculum consists of a modular structure with three progressive levels (Dive 1, 2 and 3), each comprising of modules that offer a mix of compulsory and elective lessons to ensure the successful transfer of foundational knowledge with a degree of flexibility to accommodate personal preferences.

Following successful completion of each Dive, the learner will earn a Deep Dive certificate corresponding to the level of achievement.

Entry Requirements

The Deep Dive e-learning programme consists of three progressive Dives with mandatory and elective elements. Depending on your level of knowledge at entry into the programme, you may be admitted to either Dive 1, Dive 2 or Dive 3. Please see also the programme learning outcomes for the competencies to be acquired in Dives 1, 2 or 3.

ISA will consider only those applicants who meet the following general entrance requirements:

1. Dive 1: A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (with full transcript) and/or 1-2 years of relevant work experience – little knowledge of the legal regime for the area and functioning of ISA required;

2. Dive 2: A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (with full transcript) and/or 3-4 years of relevant work experience – some knowledge of the legal regime of the area and some familiarity with the work of ISA required;

3. Dive 3: A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (with full transcript) and/or 5 years or more of relevant work experience – good knowledge of the legal regime of the Area and the work of ISA required.

If English is not the applicant’s mother tongue or the language of teaching and learning at undergraduate level, applicants must submit with their registration an internationally recognized English language proficiency test. Acceptable tests include International English Language Testing System (IELTS, band 6.0 or above), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL – internet based test score 80+ and paperbased test score 550+), Cambridge examinations (level CPE/C2).

Contributing Experts

Module 1

Michael W. Lodge

Lead Expert for Module 1 and contributing expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 2: The Area: legal and scientific perspectives.

Lesson 7: Equitable sharing of benefits from activities in the Area.

Michael Wood

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 3: ISA: Role, functions and structure.

Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 2: The Area: legal and scientific perspectives.

Elective 5: Process for making an application for a plan of work for exploration.

 

Michele Walker

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 4: The mining code.

Rüdiger Wolfrum

Contributing Expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 5: Responsibilities and obligations of sponsoring States.

Marie Bourrel-McKinnon

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 1: LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS and UNCLOS and the sustainable development of ocean-based economies.

Eden Charles

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Lesson 6: The Enterprise.

Tara Davenport

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 2: Deep-seabed mining and submarine cables.

Aldo Chircop

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 3: Implementation of Art. 82 of UNCLOS: challenges and opportunities.

Elie Jarmache

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 4: Common heritage of Mankind.

Mariana Durney

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 6: Settlement of disputes under Part XI.

Warwick Gullett

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 7: Due regard.

Dale Squires

Contributing expert for Module 1 –

Elective 8: Equity as a conceptual basis for the development of benefits sharing criteria.

Module 2

Pedro Madureira

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Lesson 1: Minerals, Metals, Mineral Resources and Reserves: basic definitions.

Lesson 6: The need for minerals in the current world.

Sven Petersen

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Lesson 2: Marine mineral resources: scientific aspects.

Saleem Ali

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Lesson 3: Marine mineral resources: economic and social perspectives.

Joshua Tuhumwire

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Lesson 4: The current status of exploration for marine minerals resources in the Area.

John Parianos

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Lesson 5: From exploration to exploitation: the mineral resource assessment.

Thomas Kuhn

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 1: The geology of polymetallic nodules.

Georgy Cherkashov

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 2: The geology of polymetallic sulphides.

Kira Mizell

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 3: The geology of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.

Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 4: Marine mineral resources: technological perspectives.

Dale Squires

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 5: Potential revenues from the exploitation of minerals in the Area.

Harald Brekke

Contributing expert Module 2 –

Elective 6: Marine mineral resources of the continental shelf – links with article 82 of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Module 3

Annemiek Vink

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Lesson 1: MSR technologies and techniques (offshore and lab-based).

Ellen Pape

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Lesson 2: Biology of polymetallic nodules.

Samuel Popoola

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Lesson 3: Biology of polymetallic sulphides.

Tomohiko Fukushima

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Lesson 4: Biology of cobalt-bearing ferromanganese crusts.

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Noémie Wouters

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Elective 1: ISA MSR Action Plan in support of UN Decade of Oceans for Sustainable Development.

Eli Jarmache

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Elective 2: Legal regime of MSR in the Area.

Malcolm Clark

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Elective 3: The Deep-Sea: An introduction to environment characteristics and habitats.

Luciana Genio

Contributing expert Module 3 –

Elective 4: Available data and role of ISA in sharing environmental information.

Module 4

Atsuko Kanehara

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 1: Legal obligations to protect the marine environment and the precautionary approach.

Marie Bourrel-McKinnon

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 2: Overview of environmental obligations in the ISA regime.

Kirsty McQuaid

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 3: Environment and ecosystems associated with each deposit-type.

Luciana Genio

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 4: Overview of baseline studies: importance and ISA expectations.

Malcolm Clark

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 5: Environmental risk assessment & impact assessment in a DSM context.

Wanfei Qui

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Lesson 6: Development and implementation of Regional Environmental Management Plans in the Area.

Tomohiko Fukushima

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Elective 1: Environmental management plan and monitoring – a technical perspective.

Ann Vanreusel

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Elective 2: Deep-sea meiofauna of the Clarion Clipperton Zone .

Daniel Jones

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Elective 3: Deep-sea macrofauna of the Clarion Clipperton Zone.

Lea Weis Kolmos

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Elective 4: Environmental management plan and monitoring – a legal perspective.

Katsunori Fujikura

Contributing expert Module 4 –

Elective 5: Simplified Monitoring of Deep-sea ecosystems – Focus on deep-sea marine protected Areas, MPAs in Japan.

Module 5

Anna Lim

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 1: Technologies for prospection for mineral resources in the Area.

Carsten Rühlemann

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 2: Methods and tools for exploration for Polymetallic Nodules in the Area.

Johan Heiler

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 3: Technologies for extraction of Polymetallic Nodules in the Area.

Alden Denny

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 4: Methods and tools for exploration for Polymetallic Sulphides in the Area.

Leonhard Weixler

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 5: Technologies for extraction of Polymetallic Sulphides in the Area.

Akira Usui

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 6: Scopes, methods and tools for exploration of Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.

Nobu Okamoto

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Lesson 7: Development of mining technology for seafloor massive sulphides and Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts.

Georgy Cherkashov

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Elective 8: Monitoring for exploration and exploitation activities.

Birte Timm

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Elective 2: Logistics/Transport before and after exploitation.

Gianni Scherl

Contributing expert Module 5  –

Elective 3: Vessel and fleet management.

David Pusztai

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Elective 4: Testing of mining components during exploration: a legal and regulatory approach.

Kris De Bruyne

Contributing expert Module 5  –

Elective 5: Testing of mining components during exploration: a technological approach.

Berit Floor Lund

Contributing expert Module 5 –

Elective 6: Bathymetry: detailed mapping for exploration.

Ulrich Schwarz Shampera

Contributing expert Module 5  –

Elective 6: Area 2030: Facilitating the high-resolution mapping of the international seabed  area by 2030.

Learning support

ISA assists participants from the time of their enrolment through completion of the selected dives, acknowledging that students may have questions about their selected programme of study.

Completion requirements

In order to successfully complete the Dive, an overall pass grade of 80% or higher is required. The participants’ knowledge of each lesson and elective will be tested in multiple choice quizzes. In order to pass the quiz, a score of 80% or higher is required in addition to the overall pass grade of 80%. Each quiz can be attempted three times and the highest score makes the final quiz grade.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Dive 1 Dive 2 Dive 3
1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the legal regime for the Area including development and content of the Mining Code, its key legal principles, the functioning and role of ISA, the responsibilities and obligations of sponsoring States as well as the equitable sharing of benefits from activities in the Area 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge and conceptual understanding of the social, economic and environmental aspects of marine mineral resources in context of exploration and exploitation in the Area 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the potential risks of deep-seabed mining activities to the marine environment, environmental risk and impact assessment methods and legal and technical aspects of environmental management planning and monitoring
2. Discuss critically legal and scientific achievements and challenges in the establishment of the legal regime for the Area in context of interests, responsibilities and obligations of the diverse stakeholders 2. Engage critically with issues and problems of marine mineral resources in context of exploration and exploitation in the Area, demonstrating the capacity to manage scientific uncertainty on a subject matter. 2. Evaluate in-depth and communicate effectively the boundaries of current knowledge, theories and practices at the forefront of environmental protection in context of deep-seabed mining
3. Communicate advanced legal knowledge, key concepts of the legal regime in the Area and evidencebased arguments persuasively, both orally and in writing, with appropriate referencing and legal citation 3. Research, analyze, and critically evaluate the current status of exploration for marine minerals resources in the Area 3. Assess economic and environmental aspects of activities carried out in the Area
4. Investigate systemic legal issues in the Area, formulate innovative responses to them and propose options for resolution of challenges where necessary 4. Compare and contrast the need for minerals in the current world with the present scientific knowledge of marine minerals and the social, environmental and economic risks and benefits of exploitation in the Area 4. Assess critically the adequacy of environmental management planning and monitoring in addressing substantive regional and global environmental concerns and judge the effectiveness of Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMP) in the Area.