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Blue Planet Challenge
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Humans have learned to adapt to life on all parts of the surface of the Earth and have pushed the limits of technology to allow exploration of the unknown realms of space.
In contrast, the oceans covering over 70 per cent of the surface of our biosphere are relatively unexplored. However, the prospect of living under the sea has always held a fascination for man and over the last 40 years, various underwater habitats have been developed.
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1962 - Conshelf I (Continental Shelf Station) was the very first experiment in which people lived in an underwater habitat, leaving it for exploration (using scuba equipment) and returning for sleeping, eating and relaxing. Developed by Jacques Cousteau to record basic observations of life underwater, the first experiment took place in September 1962 in 10 metres of water near Marseilles and involved a team of two spending seven days in the habitat.
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1963 - eight divers lived in Conshelf II for a month under the Red Sea
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1964 - the start of the Sealab projects (I-III) - developed by the US Navy, who were interested in the physiological aspects of saturation diving.
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1965 - Conshelf III was set up off the coast of southern France at a depth of 60 metres. Former astronaut Scott Carpenter and other divers spent a month in the habitat.
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1960s - Tektite I and II, like other underwater habitat studies, looked at the physiological effects on inhabitants, but with an emphasis on the effects of living underwater for long periods of time. NASA helped to fund this as they wanted to gain information that they could relate to the space programme.
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1972 to 1985 - NOAA's Hydrolab, based in the Bahamas and Caribbean, became one of the most used habitats with over 600 researchers using the facility.
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1993 - Aquarius was developed as a stationary underwater laboratory. Aquarius is the world's only underwater laboratory still operational in our world's oceans, and is located adjacent to a coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
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1990s - Jules’ Undersea Lodge is the first underwater hotel and is located off the coast of Florida. Previously a research laboratory it allows people to experience living underwater for an evening.
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More on the Aquarius habitat
Aquarius is the latest, and only remaining, underwater laboratory dedicated to research in the world’s oceans. Located 20 metres down at Conch Reef, 4 miles off the Florida Keys, it can hold six researchers who stay on board for 10-day missions. Aquarius is owned by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and is operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The habitat is a 15m-long cylindrical chamber, just 3 metres in diameter, and is attached to a 118-tonne base-plate on the sea floor for stability and support.
As the only research habitat in the world, Aquarius provides a unique opportunity for people to study not only underwater life, but also the effects of living underwater on the human body. Researchers spend their time conducting experiments, sleeping, eating and taking long diving excursions into the reef, as deep as 40 metres. They can spend up to nine hours a day in the water. With enough room for computers, electronic and laboratory equipment, it is an ideal place to conduct experiments. To be able to live and work in this kind of environment is vital for understanding more about the oceans and the animals that live within them.
To find out more information and possibly catch a glimpse of the Aquarius researchers at work, visit the following websites:
www.uncw.edu/aquarius
This is the home page for the Aquarius project and is a comprehensive and easily navigable site. If you are interested in underwater habitats or anything to do with the ocean then this site is worth a look. Check out information from previous missions and see some fantastic pictures. When missions are underway, they have web cameras up and running as well as an IPIX virtual tour through Aquarius.
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