Biosphere 2

Virtual Tour - Explore all 360 degrees of the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2. Learn more about the current research initiatives in our Rainforest, Ocean, Landscape Evolution Observatory and Technosphere.

Google Virtual Tour

https://biosphere2.org/visit/visit-biosphere-2/…

The Biosphere 2 Virtual Tour takes advantage of Google's enhanced "Street View" technology which allows you to get a first-hand view of your destination using only a web browser and your mouse.

Or you can download the ‘Biosphere 2 Experience’ App and explore the FAQ section. Then delete when you are done. Well worth it.

World-Class Research

Biosphere 2 supports cutting-edge research in sustainability and ecosystem conservation, offering a unique platform to study Earth’s complex systems and test bold ideas for sustaining life—not just on our planet, but beyond it.

The World's Largest Earth Science Experiment

Explore a 3.14-acre living laboratory where cutting-edge research unfolds across diverse ecosystems—including a rainforest, ocean, mangrove, desert, and the Landscape Evolution Observatory.

Biosphere 2 features a diverse array of complex, interconnected biomes and active research systems. Unlike in the natural world, scientists at Biosphere 2 can precisely control and isolate environmental variables, allowing them to study interactions that are impossible to separate in nature.

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.

In the 1800s, the Biosphere 2 property was part of the Samaniego CDO Ranch. After several changes of ownership, it became a conference center in the 1960s and 1970s, first for Motorola, then for The University of Arizona. Space Biospheres Ventures bought the property in 1984 and began construction of the current facility in 1986 to research and develop self-sustaining space-colonization technology.

Fast Facts

Biosphere 2 by the Numbers:

3.14 acre research facility
7,200,000 cubic feet under sealed glass; 6,500 windows
91 feet at highest point
sealed from the earth below by a 500-ton welded stainless steel liner
40-acre campus
300,000 sq. ft. of administrative offices, classrooms, labs, conference center, housing
Elevation is 3,820 feet above sea level
Over 3,000,000 visitors since 1991
Over 500,000 K-12 student visitors since 1991
Name

“Biosphere 2” derives from the idea that it is modeled on Earth, Biosphere 1

Biomes under Glass
Ocean
Mangrove wetlands
Tropical rainforest
Savanna grassland
Fog desert
Mechanics of Biosphere 2

The basement area of Biosphere 2, known as the technosphere, covers nearly 3.14 acres. It is where all the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems are housed. There are 26 air handlers located in the technosphere. The air handler units can heat and cool the air, remove particles from the air, maintain humidity levels and generate condensate water (for rain, fog and filling the ocean).Read more