Jacques Cousteau was the first to pioneer the idea of people living in a submersible habitat underwater. For fifty years science has tried to put people into harsh and alien environments so humans can get a better understanding of the world, or universe around them. Since 1993, Aquarius has housed and made possible 114 missions, with over 550 scientific publications, television and educational programmes.
source: www.frenchtribune.com
Because of this the Aquarius Aquanauts have observed the Key Largo Reef, under more scrutiny and observation than any other reef system in the world, unlocking fathoms of knowledge for scientists on a global scale. It has even been used to train and condition astronauts to the harsh and remote, extraterrestrial world they will embark into.
This year marks the end of an era; the Aquarius Reef Base (Key Largo, Florida), will no longer be the world’s only undersea lab, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have made the decision to pull funding for the Base. Jon White, an aquanaut on the last mission to Aquarius calls this decision, “…a foolish loss of capability, when we need all the help we can muster to understand the ocean and…measures to protect it.”
This year marks the end of an era; the Aquarius Reef Base (Key Largo, Florida), will no longer be the world’s only undersea lab, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have made the decision to pull funding for the Base. Jon White, an aquanaut on the last mission to Aquarius calls this decision, “…a foolish loss of capability, when we need all the help we can muster to understand the ocean and…measures to protect it.”
source: www.theawesomer.com
Remaining for hours, as saturated dives are able to do allows them to observe fish, shrimp, lobster, etc. in a more natural environment, without having to constantly think of their air consumption, scientists are able to put all their attention on the experiments being conducted. “The ability to spend almost limitless time at home beneath the sea…changed my life,” says Saul Rosser the operation direction of Aquarius returning from a weeklong saturation dive. The opportunities that have been made available because of Aquarius as proved to be an unprecedented opportunity to bring the public beneath the waves.
With half the coral reefs in the world have been destroyed, I believe it is of the utmost importance to preserve and fund missions like this that will help to protect and save the delicate ecosystem that feeds the world, and provides us with oxygen and clean water we need to survive. Hopefully despite the lack of federal funding Aquarius will survive from private funding. The uncertain economic and political climate the entire world is facing right now does not bode well for little known science projects, placing the ocean’s future under even more tenuous stress.
With half the coral reefs in the world have been destroyed, I believe it is of the utmost importance to preserve and fund missions like this that will help to protect and save the delicate ecosystem that feeds the world, and provides us with oxygen and clean water we need to survive. Hopefully despite the lack of federal funding Aquarius will survive from private funding. The uncertain economic and political climate the entire world is facing right now does not bode well for little known science projects, placing the ocean’s future under even more tenuous stress.
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