closed systems (www.eco-sphere.com) are capable of sustaining life for 2-10 year

Question

closed systems (www.eco-sphere.com) are capable of sustaining life for 2-10 years. You have seen that Biosphere 2 could not sustain human life for 2 years without intervention. Consider the lessons learned from these systems in the following scenarios.

What is the largest animal that could be sustained in Biosphere 2 for 10 years? Explain your reasoning considering life span, and carbon, water, and energy needs.

What modifications to the 1994 version of Biosphere 2 would need to be made to prevent oxygen levels from falling.

Could an enclosed, sustainable space station be designed that could support human life for 2 years? Explain your reasoning. Be as specific as possible regarding the carbon, water, and energy cycles.

Explanation / Answer

Biosphere 2 is meant to be the fully self-sufficient biosphere after the earth. It was originally constructed between by space biosphere ventures. But it is not supporting the life as like earth. Gases are not balanced properly to support life. As a result, there were huge die-offs in biosphere 2.

Many suspected that the fall in oxygen is mainly due to the microbes in the soil. The soils were selected to have enough carbon to provide to the plants. Respiration rate was faster than photosynthesis might be due to low light penetration. This has resulted in slow decrease of oxygen. Another thing with biosphere 2 is that carbon dioxide was reacting with exposed concrete inside biosphere 2 forming calcium carbonate.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse C
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.