Science
First Human Sentinel Underwater Habitat to debut in 2027
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Sentinel Underwater Habitat
Our planet is covered in a deep, beautiful ocean that we know very little about. More than 80% of this great expanse has never been explored or mapped. There are underwater worlds that no human being has ever seen before.
We have a better understanding of the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do of most of our oceans. Yet, the ocean is so central to our very existence.
How can so much of our own planet be such a mystery to us?
Who is Pioneering Humanity’s First Underwater Habitat?
Engineering wonder, DEEP, is an organization that is currently creating the first human underwater habitat. Their goal is to make humanity aquatic. They say it best on their website:
Imagine if the only way we could explore the rainforest was to fly over it with a helicopter. We could only study the forest floor for a few minutes before having to leave to refuel and resupply. Think of how much we’d be missing.
Well, that’s how much we’re missing by not creating a human habitat underwater.
There has been limitations of undersea exploration for generations. The incompatibility of the human body with the demands of the deep has kept much of the underwater world out of our reach. We’ve long been limited to quick glances from above, always cut short by the need to surface.
However, those barriers are about to be ripped down with the introduction DEEP’s underwater Sentinel System™.
What is the Deep Sentinel System?
DEEP’s Sentinel System aims to create a new deep-water habitat and laboratory. These systems are capable of supporting human life for extended periods. It will allow researchers to live and work at depths of up to 200 feet for as many as 28 consecutive days. DEEP expects it to be fully functional by 2027.
Developing this facility has taken a great deal of careful planning and testing. It’s made out of highly researched and tested materials for optimal safety. This will allow it to endure in the high-pressure environment of the seafloor.
As well, it allows the station to maintain a consistent interior pressure to protect the health of the workers. The pressure can be adjusted for wherever and for how long the station is to stay underwater.
More than that, the station is built to be convertible. That means like a child’s building toy, new pieces and sections can be added or removed easily. There’s no need to disturb the existing facility. A station for a two-person team can instantly become a research facility for six scientists just by adding a few rooms.
What are the Benefits of the Sentinel Underwater Habitat?
DEEP Sentinel is pioneering humanity’s first underwater habitat. Living underwater for extended periods can help us better understand the ocean in ways we cannot currently imagine. There will be plenty of benefits of this sentinel underwater habitat:
- Climate Change Management: The Sentinel System will allow scientists to study the impacts climate change is having on our oceans. This can be particularly helpful in knowing whether submerging sargassum seaweed to ocean floor is a good idea or not.
- Renewable Energy Source: DEEP’s underwater habitat project can help us better understand ways in which the ocean can provide an effective renewable energy source. There is a lot of potential in using wave power in helping curb the harmful emissions of fossil fuels.
- Human Impact: Perhaps most importantly, it could allow us to understand our own impact on the oceans of our world. We may see exactly what impact our industries and activities have on marine ecosystems and from where, and to what extent.
However, living in confined quarters far below the surface of the water will definitely have its challenges. A big part of the ongoing research has surrounded the question of whether humans can really live in the briny deep.
What Will the Underwater Sentinel System be Like?
Humans need sunlight, fresh air, privacy, and freedom. All of these things can be a challenge 200 feet beneath the surface of the water. So, underwater habitat projects like the DEEP Sentinel are designed to rectify that.
The Sentinel System provides living quarters whose pictures seem to rival some very fine homes on dry land.
Each occupant is provided with a private bedroom that comes with a bed big enough to easily fit a six-foot person, cupboards for storage, and a small worktable.
The Sentinel System also benefits from a large, overhead viewport, or window, through which the occupant can watch the ocean drift by, while providing a feeling of spaciousness.
There are also fully equipped bathrooms, laundry facilities, and a dining and kitchen area.
All this is in addition to the Mezzanine Deck, an area of the underwater habitat dedicated to the work of the crew. This space is designed to be completely modified to meet the needs of any given project. This ensures the lab will always be tailor-made to whatever work is being done during a particular mission.
The facility will include a large bioreactor to deal with the inevitable waste that comes with human biology.
Companies like Oneka Technologies are developing ways to desalinate seawater and make it drinkable. Could this process potentially supply a station like this with unlimited drinking water in the future?
One thing is certain, there is no stopping human ingenuity!
When Will Humans be Able to Live Underwater?
DEEP’s Sentinel System is due to be opened in 2027. The first station will open in the UK’s Southwest and Wales where the organization is based out of. The research team expects their underwater habitat project to establish a permanent human presence in the ocean.
In fact, the Sentinel System expects to have as many as ten stations operating all around the world by 2035, according to Oceonographic. They’ve even gone so far as to predict the first human undersea birth by 2050.
Time will tell, but it can’t be denied that this opens up amazing new doors.
In the best case scenario, the knowledge that comes from this engineering will help us discover a variety of new species, as well as bring about a clean energy future for 2027 and beyond.
IC Inspiration
The work of big research labs like DEEP is incredible.
If inspiring click has taught us anything, its that the strength and passion to fix our mistakes also lies in the hearts of the young.
Finlay Pringle. Remember that name. You’re going to keep hearing it.
Finlay is a 16-year-old boy from the town of Ullapool in Scotland. This little village is on the north coast. It sits on the shores of Loch Broom, an inlet that opens into the Atlantic Ocean. This lifelong and immediate exposure to the sea has impacted Finlay in wonderful ways and has shaped the work he’s doing today in combating ocean pollution.
He’s a young boy with a mission. He’s determined to save the world’s oceans and wetlands. Particularly, he has a strong interest in sharks.
He explained to the North Sutherland Wildlife Group, “… we as a species kill 100 million sharks every year. That equates to 3 every second… By the time you have read this blog another 1000 sharks will have been killed.”
Shark species as a whole are in serious danger of disappearing from our oceans in the very near future. In the last 50 years, global shark populations have dropped by 71%. If this doesn’t change, sharks could go extinct as early as 2050.
The declining numbers have already caused serious changes to the marine ecosystem. This includes the health of small fish and other sea life which is a food source for the sharks. The lack of sharks to balance the population of these species could lead to an overabundance of certain algae and bacteria. When that happens, large portions of the seafloor are left barren and unlivable.
Finlay is determined not to let that happen. Known as the Ullapool Shark Ambassador, he’s been hard at work protecting the ocean since he was 10 years old. He’s the first student in Scotland to start a climate strike to bring attention to climate change and the problems it brings.
He’s become a popular speaker at various conferences and gatherings where people meet to discuss the problems of the environment.
That inspirational vision is within our reach. As long as we have kids like Finlay out fighting for the earth, we can’t miss.