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