In 1991, inside a huge glass building deep in the Arizona desert, an unprecedented experiment was quietly launched. Called Biosphere 2, this enclosed ecosystem is designed to be completely self-sufficient, mimicking the Earth's various ecosystems. Eight scientists, four men and four women, were chosen to live in this artificially created miniature Earth for two years.
Their mission is to maintain a balanced ecosystem, with every detail requiring their precise control, from food cultivation to water management. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the ability of humans to survive in a closed environment.
As the experiment progressed, a series of unforeseen problems began to arise in this ideal miniature world. Is this a utopia of human self-redemption or an ecological catastrophe?
Background of Biosphere 2
In 1991, a bold scientific experiment in Arizona, USA, was launched, and it was Biosphere 2. Located in the middle of the desert, this sprawling eco-experiment facility looks like a giant glass palace and is designed to simulate the Earth's various ecosystems.
The 13,000-square-meter area is home to rainforests, grasslands, deserts, agricultural areas and a simulated ocean. Biosphere 2 was expensive to build, not only because of its size and complexity of design, but also because the materials and technologies used were cutting-edge at the time.
The entire structure is made of steel and special glass, which ensures complete isolation of the internal environment from the outside world. This design is designed to test whether humans can survive in isolation from the outside world while maintaining a self-sustaining ecosystem. Eight members were selected to participate in the two-year experiment after a rigorous selection process.
They come from different fields of science and engineering, and each has a specific mission and research focus. Their common goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in this closed system while collecting data that will inform possible future space colonization. The rainforest area within the biosphere mimics the environment of a tropical rainforest, with lush trees and humid air.
Hundreds of species of tropical plants are planted here, which not only increase the biodiversity of the system, but also provide an important contribution to the water cycle and oxygen production within the biosphere. The grassland area covers a large open area with drought-tolerant herbaceous plants, mimicking the vast African savannah.
The agricultural area is one of the most active areas in the biosphere, where members cultivate a wide variety of crops, from cereals to vegetables. This not only ensures the availability of food, but is also an important part of the experiment, which monitors the suitability of the environment in the biosphere through the growth of crops.
Animals are also an integral part of the biosphere, including chickens and pigs, as well as a variety of small mammals and insects, which play a key role in maintaining ecological balance. Although the marine area is only a large pool, it simulates a complete coral reef system, which is not only beautiful but also scientific.
This small, man-made marine ecosystem is home to fish, seaweed, and other marine life. In this almost completely closed environment, the members of Biosphere 2 began their daily lives. Although everything seems to be in order, the challenges of this unique lifestyle and working environment are unprecedented.
Each member must adapt to spending long periods of time with others in a confined space, while efficiently managing and maintaining complex ecosystems.
The initial phase of the experiment
In the early days of Biosphere 2's experiments, the eight occupants quickly adapted to their new environment, and their daily lives were filled with excitement of exploration and experimentation. The space they live in is a well-designed ecosystem that includes vast areas of rainforest, lush agriculture, and man-made lakes teeming with a variety of aquatic plants and animals.
Each member has specific responsibilities aimed at ensuring a balanced and sustainable environment within the biosphere. There are people in charge of agricultural areas, and their daily job is to check the growth of crops, adjust irrigation systems and take soil and plant samples for analysis.
They grow a variety of vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and citrus, which not only provide food for the occupants, but are also an important source of oxygen production throughout the ecosystem.
Someone is responsible for animal management and environmental monitoring of the biosphere. A variety of animals have been introduced to the biosphere, including chickens, fish and some small mammals, which not only increase the biodiversity of the biosphere, but are also an important part of the ecosystem. Their daily task is to monitor the health of these animals and ensure that their living environment is stable.
The remainder focus on climate control and energy management within the biosphere. Their job is to ensure that the temperature, humidity and light conditions in the biosphere meet the survival needs of all living things. An advanced meteorological monitoring system is installed inside the biosphere, which regulates environmental conditions in real time.
Not only do the inhabitants have to maintain the ecological balance within the biosphere, but they also have to process scientific data received from the outside world that helps them better understand the dynamics of ecosystems in closed environments. Every day, they spend a lot of time conducting scientific experiments, collecting and analyzing data that is essential to assess the success of the biosphere as an independent system.
Challenges and problems arise
However, over time, the environment within the biosphere began to become problematic. Serious problems arose with a drop in oxygen concentration and an increase in carbon dioxide levels during the experiments. The oxygen concentration gradually dropped from the normal 21% to only 14.5%. This condition, which is equivalent to 4,000 meters above the planet, causes the occupants to suffer from altitude sickness, symptoms such as fainting, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
In addition, the personality becomes irritable and unstable, and the psychological pressure of the team increases. As the internal environment of Biosphere 2 continues to deteriorate, the imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide has become a growing challenge. Occupants have had to face a growing number of technical and ecological problems, even though they have taken various measures to try to correct these imbalances.
During a routine check-up, the technical team found new evidence of a sharp drop in oxygen concentrations. They urgently convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures.
"We need to check all the oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors immediately to make sure there are no faults that could cause wrong data readings. The head of technology noted solemnly. The team sprang into action and thoroughly checked and calibrated all the sensors within the biosphere.
Upon closer inspection, all sensors showed normal operation, which means that the problem with the oxygen drop was real and not an error caused by an instrument failure.
To address this issue, the team decided to increase human intervention in the ecosystem within the biosphere. They tweaked the light system within the biosphere in an attempt to increase oxygen production by increasing photosynthesis. In addition, they have adapted the air circulation system to minimize oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide accumulation.
"Our food supply is becoming strained, and we need to manage our agricultural areas more efficiently. Agricultural experts asked during the team discussion. She and her team began to replan crop cultivation in agricultural areas, prioritizing those that contribute the most to oxygen and reducing those that require more respiration.
At the same time, fish and other aquatic organisms begin to die in the simulated marine ecosystem, which is due to the decrease in oxygen levels in the water. This phenomenon not only affects the food chain, but also affects the purity of water quality, putting new pressures on the biosphere's water cycle.
"We need to increase the monitoring of water treatment systems and may require manual intervention to regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the water. The water quality management engineer noted. He worked overtime to try to stabilize the performance of this critical system.
Life within the biosphere has become more difficult, and the occupants are often tired due to the drop in oxygen levels and must reduce physical activity to conserve energy. In addition, due to the stunted growth of plants and reduced food production, they have had to adjust their diets to rely more on stored food and those crops that can survive in this environment.
In order to keep the biosphere functioning, team members began to perform maintenance and inspections more frequently. Every equipment adjustment or ecological adjustment must be very precise in order to avoid causing even greater ecological imbalances. Despite the difficulties, the inhabitants of Biosphere 2 persisted in carrying out the necessary scientific research to collect valuable data on the functioning of the closed ecosystem.
Imbalances in ecosystems
As the Biosphere 2 experiment enters its advanced stages, the challenges faced by the occupants are further exacerbated. The internal ecological imbalance has affected all spheres of life and work. Further declines in oxygen levels have led to the need for occupants to reduce the intensity of their activities, and the issue of food supply has become increasingly urgent.
Yields in agricultural areas have declined further, and some already fragile crops have all but stopped growing. In order to extend the available food supply as long as possible, the occupants began to manage food rations more strictly. Crop yields have dropped dramatically, and the only remaining food sources are largely dependent on stored emergency food supplies and plants that can survive extreme conditions, such as sweet potatoes and certain root plants.
Over time, the flora and fauna inside the biosphere began to die in large numbers. The problem of water sources has become more serious, and the deterioration of water quality has led to the collapse of aquatic ecosystems. The mortality of fish has led to a significant decline in the biological mass of the entire water system, further exacerbating the ecological imbalance.
In order to cope with these problems, the occupants began to try various possible solutions. They adapted the irrigation system to reduce water consumption and tried to use more biotechnology to restore the fertility of the soil. All these efforts are aimed at maintaining the ecological balance within the biosphere as much as possible and extending the sustainability of the experiment.
As the experiment draws to a close, each occupant is doing their part to solve the challenges through scientific research and practice. They are constantly tweaking and optimizing various parts of the ecosystem, hoping to find a way to keep Biosphere 2's environment relatively stable for at least the duration of the experiment.
Outcomes and effects of the experiment
After two years of challenges, the Biosphere 2 experiment ended in failure. When the experiment ended, the occupants were finally able to leave the severely damaged ecosystem, and the outside world was able to see a picture of the complete collapse of the ecosystem.
While the experiment failed to achieve all of the expected goals, the data and experience collected are invaluable for similar closed ecosystem studies in the future.
Despite the bleak scene at the end of the experiment, these experiences provide valuable scientific information for understanding the ecological dynamics in closed systems, which will help to better prepare and plan for future exploration of a wider space.