General Description

This is the third version of completely/hermetically enclosed biospheres.  There are two earlier versions that will be described at a later time.  All of the lessons learned from the first two are used here.  The general structure for this biosphere is focused on completing/building natural food  chains, gas cycles (namely CO2 and Methane) and water cycles.  The top part of the biosphere has an open area where gas can mix.  The top part houses part of the water table shown in the plastic contained suspended over the marine layer of water.  

Top Section - Gas Layer

The gas layer function is similar to the Earth's atmosphere.  Water is condensed from the air.  This is the dew-point which is created by two thermal electric devices seated with small black fans.  This section also contains the main lights for plant on the water table.  This is made of a 40 gallon fish take put upside down.

Middle  Section - Fresh Water Table

This is the water table.  The picture does not contain any soil, sand and clay yet.  The system is still cycling the marine layer and establishing the micro food chains.  The water table also contains four lights used for giving light energy to phytoplankton in the marine layer.  The lights are water sealed with glass and MDF; and water chilled.  The copper pipes take away heat from the lamps so the soil temperature does not up when the lights are on.  All lights are LED and they make a lot of heat.  The copper tubes are connected to the marine water chiller and pump.

Bottom Section - Marine Layer

This is the marine layer.  It is chilled by the water chiller pipes that are connected to a bulkhead cut through the glass aquarium.  This is a 40 gallon fish tank.  The bottom layer has sand, live stone and some sea water.  It is kept at 53 F.  It is also lit by four LED light (around 6500 degrees K).  Anything higher does not work.  

Biosphere III Hardware Setup

Marine Water

The marine layer contains the heart of oxygen production.  The majorly of the Earths oxygen is produced in phytoplankton blooms.  These blooms are created in this biosphere.  The majorly of the green in the water is not algae, but phytoplankton.  The phytoplankton is eaten by the copepods and the copepods are eaten by shore crabs.  The shore crabs poop and create chemicals in the water used by the phytoplankton.  Light form the LED lights are used by the phytoplankton to make oxygen.

CO2 Cycle

Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air.  It sinks to the ground.  The ground in this case is the marine layer.  The CO2 is used by the phytoplankton as food.  The CO2 stays around 500 ppm in the beginning stages of this biosphere.  It's measured during the entire experiment.

Lights

There are two sets of lights.  One is located in the water table/soil layer.  It shines down on the water.  The second set is located on top where it exposes the plants to be planted.  The light intensity needs to be high in the low blue and in red.  Plants don't really use green light.

Water Movement

There are two forms of water movement.  The internal marine water circulation and the fresh water movement through the water table.  The water in the marine layer is shifted around by paddle, not pumped.  A pump will destroy the microbiology with is blades.  It blends them up.  The paddle moves the water around picking up chilled water from the external circulation hoses at the bottom of the tank.  

Here is a picture of the motor that moves around the marine layer.  This picture is from the teardown of this biosphere.  Hence, you can see some of the water and soil through the water table plastic.  It's a servo motor that is programmed to run up and down in speed throughout the day.

The second water movement is fresh water.  Water is condensed from evaporation from the marine layer.  It's dripped into the water table, goes through the water table to the bottom and drains back into the ocean.  Whatever water passes by plant roots is used by the plant.  There about 500 ml of water produced from the condensation per 24 hours.  Below is pictured a water test.  The beaker fills up daily.

The RH and air temperature of the whole Biosphere III system is determined by the marine water temperature. It's no different than tempered climate while living next to the ocean.

Marine Water Temperature

The water temperature is around 53 F.  This is the correct temperature for the life in the marine layer.  It cannot go above 60 F or the micro-food-chain will be changed.  The water is chilled by a 1/4 HP chiller and an external circulating pump.

There is a 100 GPH pump circulating water through the biosphere and the chiller.  The tank is the white bucket.  Below is a picture of the plastic tube in the marine layer.

Air Movement

Air is moved by small fans.  They are cycled on and off throughout the day.

 

Biological Setup:

Food Chain

Food chains need to be established before the biosphere can be closed.  In this case, the marine layer is first established.  It takes about 2 to 4 months to establish the growth in the tank.  Since the water temperature is low (53 F) there is not much evaporation.  Water salt is kept at density of 1.32.  The pH of the system needs to be monitored and kept around 8.  If your system is strong and contains plenty of diversity, it will keep there with no problem.

The food chain first designed in is a bacteria -> phytoplankton -> microarthropods -> Carcinus maenas.  From there the waste is put back into the water as food for bacteria.  Once this is going, the system can be closed and check without the water table in place.

After a few months of checking the closed marine layer, soil is placed in the empty water table.  Plants are selected.  In this case I picked the temperature and RH for heavy forest lands.  Fungi is planted and some ferns.  In this case the water table is tested to see if it can give plants fresh water from the marine.  The dead leaves and dead bacteria blow off CO2 and methane.  It is incorporated in the soil and marine.  

In this biosphere the land is dependent totally on the ocean.  The ocean stops working, the land goes into a sever mono-culture in no time.  And there is no turning it back.  These are some of the lessons learned from the previous biospheres II and I.