Photo Courtesy Biosphere 2 Center

Quick Overview of Biosphere 2 Rain Forest Ocean Savannah Marsh Desert Agriculture, Research Residential “Lungs” 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.

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 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?) Photo courtesy Biosphere 2 Center

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/Disadvantages as 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