JHON HARNY D.

BRIOSO
BSCE 2B

On a short bond paper, write a summary and a reaction paper about the Biosphere 2.

The University of Arizona assumed ownership of Biosphere 2 in July 2011. A generous gift from
the Philecology Foundation helps fund Biosphere 2 operations and some research projects.
Other grants and awards, primarily from the National Science Foundation, also support
research activities.

The Biosphere 2 site was a portion of the Samaniego CDO Ranch in the 1800s. In the 1960s and
1970s, after going through a number of ownership changes, it was used as a conference center,
first by Motorola and subsequently by The University of Arizona. The location was purchased by
Space Biospheres Ventures in 1984, and work on the current facility to research and develop
self-sustaining space colonization technologies started in 1986.

Two missions, between 1991 and 1994, sealed Biospherians inside the glass enclosure to
measure survivability. Behind this highly public exercise was useful research that helped further
ecological understanding. Several first-person accounts have been published by former crew
members that provide different perspectives on the experiment.

In 1994, Decisions Investments Corporation assumed control of the property and Columbia
University managed it from 1996-2003 and reconfigured the structure for a different mode of
scientific research, including a study on the effects of carbon dioxide on plants. Columbia also
built classrooms and housing for college students of earth systems science.

The property was sold June 4, 2007, to CDO Ranching and its development partners who then
leased the property to UArizona from 2007-2011. The enclosure now serves as a tool to support
research already underway by UArizona scientists. As a laboratory for large-scale projects, such
as the Landscape Evolution Observatory , the university's stewardship of Biosphere 2 will allow
the UArizona to perform key experiments aimed at quantifying some of the consequences of
global climate change.

Biosphere 2 advances our understanding of natural and human-made ecosystems through

integrated research that drives the discovery and development of interventions that increase
the resilience and sustainability of Earth systems and human quality of life. We advance
research in our unique facilities, conduct interdisciplinary science education, and foster
leadership initiatives focused on developing scalable solutions for our planet and beyond.