Ok, so when you take the tour, after the ocean, savannah, and wetlands areas, you come upon the desert, follow by the underbelly of the Biosphere. In my opinion, the underbelly of the Biosphere is the coolest part of the entire thing -- you see how the Biosphere functioned back in the original missions!
The Desert immediately follows the ocean and savannah. If you're a native to Tucson, this is perhaps the least interesting part -- we're so familiar with the desert that it looks almost like the wilder parts of Tucson do.
One thing to note though, is that the desert plays a critical role in the circulation of oxygen throughout the biosphere. During the colder months, the desert tends to put out more oxygen. Not to mention, the desert area is usually only watered a few times a year. When it is watered, a fog envelops the area. Also worth noting is the desert area has a very high glass ceiling.
After the quick stop in the desert, we go underground. Now this is where it gets interesting. You will immediately notice a sudden shift to a concrete bunker. And if you're lucky, the air vents will be blowing -- and you'll get a massive gust through your hair. Here is where all the technology lies, in the underbelly of the Biosphere. I need to apologize in advance -- because there are low lighting levels underground, some of my shots are slightly blurry. I tried to do my best without a tripod.
But please note, the underbelly of the Biosphere is not disconnected from the rest of the Biosphere. In fact, it's integrated almost seamlessly.
Water that runs off from the biomes above travels down through the underbelly, and eventually collects in the south lung. One has to travel through quite a bit of terrain to reach the south lung.
Once you get there, you are greeted by an impressive sight:
(Click on the magnifying glass to see a much larger panorama)
The south lung is where all the runoff water pools, because it is the lowest point in the entire biosphere. The South Lung's existence is due to the fact that the Biosphere was intended to be an enclosed system, except for electricity that was generated from an outside source.
The reason the South Lung exists, is that in an enclosed system, constant heating and cooling (thanks to the sun) would cause pressure inside the Biosphere to be constantly rising or falling. If the pressure were to reach a critical level, the glass panes forming the biosphere could shatter and explode outward. Inversely, if the pressure were to get too low, the glass could implode. So the lung was created -- as pressure from heat increases during the day, the aluminum disc suspended by a rubberlike substance rises. As the pressure decreases from cooling at night, the aluminum disc descends. In this way, the disc functions as a lung.
One funny thing to note: When you're leaving the lung, make sure to grab hold of your hat if you're wearing one.
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