Biosphere 2:
The Biosphere 2 is a scientific research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. Originally built with
the intention to create and study an artificial, self-sustaining biosphere, Biosphere 2 is the
world’s largest enclosed controlled environment where scientists can work with scaled-down
ecosystems to learn about the resilience and sustainability of Earth’s systems, and human
quality of life. The main portion of this glass structure contains five ecosystems: coastal fog
desert, tropical rainforest, savanna grassland, mangrove wetland, and ocean (complete with
coral reef).
More than 2 decades ago, eight researchers entered this glass terrarium as a radical experiment
to test whether the enclosure could support human life. "The main objective of the experiment
was to determine if an artificial biosphere could operate, increasing storages of energy and
biomass, preserving a high level of biodiversity and biomes, stabilizing its waters, soils and
atmosphere," Biosphere 2 inventor John Allen said in a paper they published on the experiment
in 1997. The researchers also wanted if the biosphere could provide a healthy and creative life
for humans working as naturalists, ecosystem scientists, and technicians.
With this plan, the researchers embarked on their 2-year mission inside Biosphere 2, living
alongside 3,000 species of plants and animals, and a farm with all the air, water and food they
needed. However, challenges soon arose after a year of living inside the enclosure. The oxygen
had dwindled to dangerously low levels, and the farm was not producing enough crops, leaving
crew members to suffocate and hungry.
The Biosphere 2 is a scientific research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. Originally built with
the intention to create and study an artificial, self-sustaining biosphere, Biosphere 2 is the
world’s largest enclosed controlled environment where scientists can work with scaled-down
ecosystems to learn about the resilience and sustainability of Earth’s systems, and human
quality of life. The main portion of this glass structure contains five ecosystems: coastal fog
desert, tropical rainforest, savanna grassland, mangrove wetland, and ocean (complete with
coral reef).
More than 2 decades ago, eight researchers entered this glass terrarium as a radical experiment
to test whether the enclosure could support human life. "The main objective of the experiment
was to determine if an artificial biosphere could operate, increasing storages of energy and
biomass, preserving a high level of biodiversity and biomes, stabilizing its waters, soils and
atmosphere," Biosphere 2 inventor John Allen said in a paper they published on the experiment
in 1997. The researchers also wanted if the biosphere could provide a healthy and creative life
for humans working as naturalists, ecosystem scientists, and technicians.
With this plan, the researchers embarked on their 2-year mission inside Biosphere 2, living
alongside 3,000 species of plants and animals, and a farm with all the air, water and food they
needed. However, challenges soon arose after a year of living inside the enclosure. The oxygen
had dwindled to dangerously low levels, and the farm was not producing enough crops, leaving
crew members to suffocate and hungry.
