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| Rob and Dan listening to the Biosphere 2 tour |
WHAT IS BIOSPHERE 2? It's the size of about 2 football fields and is the largest closed system ever created! The sealed nature of the structure allowed scientists to monitor the continually changing chemistry of the air, water and soil contained within. Health of the human crew was monitored by a medical doctor inside and an outside medical team.
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| The Mangrove wetlands |
WHAT IS A BIOME? A biome /ˈbaɪoʊm/ is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in. They can be found over a range of continents. Biomes are distinct biological communities that have formed in response to a shared physical climate.
WHAT ARE THE BIOMES INSIDE? There is a 1,900 square meter rainforest, an 850 square meter ocean with a coral reef, a 450 square meter mangrove wetlands, a 1,300 square meter savannah grassland, a 1,400 square meter fog desert, a 2,500 square meter agricultural system, a human habitat, and a below-ground level technical infrastructure.
HOW IT IS HEATED AND COOLED - Heating and cooling water circulated through independent piping systems and passive solar input through the glass space frame panels covering most of the facility, and electrical power was supplied into Biosphere 2 from an onsite natural gas energy center through airtight penetrations.
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| Growing plants |
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| The Ocean Biome and Coral Reef |
NEXT: Going Underground in the Biosphere 2
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| The mangroves area |
