Biosphere 2
Photo Courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
Quick Overview of Biosphere 2
• A 3.15 acre greenhouse - model of our Biosphere• ~2,000 species of plants & animals • 5 separate biome types• Agricultural area/space for residents• Designed as a “closed” system - model for space
travel• Now - research & education for Columbia Univ.
Rain Forest Ocean Savannah MarshDesert
“Lungs”
Agriculture,Research
Residential
What is a Biosphere?
Photo Courtesy Biosphere 2000, by Kaufman & Franz
Photo courtesy Carolina Biological
Overview of Project
Image Courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
Rain Forest
Ocean, Marsh, Savanna
Desert
Photo courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
Agricultural Areas
Photo Courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
Now Used For Research
Human Habitat
• Apartment space for 8 people
• Kitchen and common area
• Library & computer facility
Image courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
“Lungs”
Inside the West Lung
Photo Courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
“Technosphere”
• Water filtration
• Reverse Osmosis
• Sprinkler system
• Electricity for computers, sensors machinery, etc.
• Not really a closed system (energy inputs from the sun and AZ Electric Power Corp.)
Brief History
Photo courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
• Mid 1980’s – Land Purchased by Space Biosphere Ventures
• 1989 – Test module constructed and inhabited for 21 days.
• Biosphere 2 built at a cost of $150 million
• Many questions to consider (such as?)
Brief History, continued
• Sept. 1991 - Sept. 1993 2 – year sealed study
• Mar.-Sept. 1994 6 month sealed study
• Low Oxygen Levels – Oxygen was added
• 1 person was medically evacuated for 1 day
• No one has inhabited it permanently since 1994
Brief History
• 1996 – “Bio-Dome” starring Pauly Shore is released in theaters.
• Jan 1, 1996 Columbia University takes over the management of the Biosphere 2 Center
Photo Courtesy MGM/UA and Amazon.com
Climate Change Research
• Cottonwood Plants that are Clones of Each Other
• Held at 400 ppm, 800 ppm and 1200 ppm CO2
• Examine photosynthesis rates to determine whether plants can take up additional CO2
Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reef Systems
Uptake of CO2 by coral decreases by 40% under elevated concentrations of carbonates
Similar Studies in Other Ecosystem Types
• Rainforest• Desert
• Other habitats difficult to isolate
• Computer simulation modeling
Image courtesy Biosphere 2 Center
Problems
• Ants (Paratrechina longicornis) have become abundant.
• Quarantine Issues
• Costs a lot to operate.
• One of a kind.
How Should This Facility be Used?
• Model for Space Travel
• Climate Change Research
• Undergraduate & Graduate Education
• Public Outreach and Education
• Other Uses?
Advantages/Disadvantagesas a Research Facility
Advantages Disadvantages
• Conducted at a large scale (more realistic)
• Controlled conditions (can manipulate CO2 to exact concentrations)
• Possible to run several replicates at one time
• Possible to repeat experiments over time
• Not a precise model of native ecosystems
• Expensive to build and operate
• One of a kind (not perfectly applicable to a particular system)
• Others?
How is New Scientific Knowledge Obtained?
Scientific Method
• Observation
• Hypothesis (must be testable)
• Experiment (ideally has a control group and is replicated)
• Analyze Results (rely on prior research)
• Conclusion
How Well Does Biosphere 2 Achieve This?
The End
For more information visit www.bio2.edu