Pruning and weeding in the Wilderness Biomes. Maintenance scheduling and efficiency assessment of Wilderness Biome management. 750 sensors measure temperature, light, humidity, carbon dioxide and other variables of air and soil. When conditions move out of the ranges that the scientists have decided they want to maintain, Biosphere Operations can make changes to stabilize the environment. These data are continuously available online and will be very useful for classroom activities.
Students can plot the data on their computer screen or download it to their computer.
More sensors will be added to the list as time goes on. Study of a radical new interpretation for the massive precipitation of calcium carbonate by corals and reef algae is now ongoing. The acid is then used to convert bicarbonate to carbon dioxide, which improves photosynthetic performance, and helps with nutrient assimilation. On-site study of the species composition of the Biosphere 2 Center Reef, and studies of nutrient dynamics on coral reefs. For example, one study revealed that the ecosystem as a whole takes up nutrients with nearly perfect first order kinetics.