Although humans are very much a land species, look far enough back and our
origins are actually in water. The first aquatic creatures to venture out onto land - among them,
a fish called Tiktaalik - were also the first step in a long series of
evolutions that would one day lead to us. Humanity has long since lost our ability
to survive in the oceans alone, but what if we were forced to retrace our steps?
This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question;
what if humans had to live in the ocean?
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The idea of living underwater has been investigated before. The famed explorer
Jacques Cousteau was one of the first to experiment with an underwater base
known as Continental Shelf Station, or Conshelf, in the 1960s. For Cousteau,
what began as a couple of researchers spending around five hours a day underwater… turned into
a full team of aquanauts living for weeks beneath the ocean. These early trials proved that humans
could physically and psychologically handle suboceanic living, so long as an appropriate
and robust enough facility was built to house them. And, indeed, early underwater
efforts like this ended up influencing the likes of NASA for astronaut training, too.
Back beneath the waves, and the US Navy investigated further with a series of
experiments called SEALAB 1, 2, and 3, again in the 1960s. These looked
into the idea of living underwater while performing research… with one aspect even
reportedly involving the attempted training of an assistant dolphin (known as Tuffy) to help
with tasks. The experiments generally went well until the disaster that was SEALAB 3,
where members experienced a variety of problems including hypothermia, suspected sabotage by some
members of the crew, and ultimately the death of one aquanaut, Berry L. Cannon. All of which led
to the government scrapping the idea of ocean living, and not much has been done since.
But still, there are many who believe we should be starting up our efforts once again;
that we might one day be forced (at least partly) back to the ocean,
and so it would pay to be prepared. In many “worst case” scenarios for the future of our species,
the ocean provides a much safer place than life on land ever could. For example, water can be a
great shield against radiation. In the event of a nuclear war, then, where deadly ionizing radiation
could plague the land for years, escaping to the sea could be one way to try to protect
ourselves. Similarly, far beneath the water is a safe place to be during (or after) many natural
disasters. Storms, fires, floods, volcanic eruptions, and even tsunamis are initially
avoidable in a submarine or underwater base. We’re often told how humans might one day need
to flee to space if something bad enough were to happen here… but actually it could
be both safer and easier to build a colony on or (under) the waters of Earth, in some situations.
Although the idea of living in an underwater city might sound like a fantasy, we actually
already possess much of the technology needed to pull it off. Indeed, according to some,
perhaps the main reason that we don’t already have an Atlantis-like colony is that old foe; funding.
That, and a perceived lack of necessity in the here and now. For example, all over the world and
across multiple projects, researchers have already devised a number of theoretical structures that
could be built underwater. One safe method for a small vessel - and pioneered by the Polish group,
Deep Ocean Technology, among others - would be to use small units made of steel and glass
that can sink into the ocean using ballast tanks full of water. Upon emptying the tanks,
that same structure could be raised back to the surface, if required.
For much larger populations, an underwater city might look something more like what the
Japanese firm Shimizu has envisioned, with Ocean Spiral. While still at an early development stage,
Ocean Spiral is a large sphere structure, with more than seventy separate floors. If plans
are met, it will be able to host up to 4,000 people at a time. It gets its name because,
although the main habitable part is the sphere, it would be connected to a gigantic spiral at
the bottom… which could then stretch and attach all the way down to the seafloor,
some two-and-a-half miles (or more) below. Inside Ocean Spiral,
life might not feel too different to normal. Again, according to early plans,
the living quarters should look like hotel rooms… while at the edge of the sphere, where amenities
are kept and activities can be found, the feeling should more resemble that of a shopping mall.
However, while time will tell how far the project can go, perhaps Ocean Spiral still
isn’t quite right for true long-term (or even indefinite) habitation. The
sort needed should Earth’s land become too dangerous to return to. For that,
an ocean or underwater city would need many more, overlapping centers, places, and services.
A reliable way to provide food, for example. A way to offer regular exercise to all residents,
without miles and miles of land to even walk around on. A means to ensure that blazing
sunlight is kept at manageable and healthy levels for all. Lots of green spaces, again for food,
but also for oxygen (if underwater) and for the general mood on top of or below the waves.
Life inside such a place would certainly be different. Everything (school, work,
free time) would be much more localized and limited. While some cities on land have a
tendency to sprawl ever outwards, that wouldn’t be quite so easy on (or in) water… and, very quickly,
all residents would grow to know all parts of their home. Privacy would be very difficult.
There’d be nowhere to hide should you want to… and probably no-one who you wouldn’t know,
or who wouldn’t know you. At least in their earliest forms, ocean cities are set to be
closed off communities… which also brings various health risks, including the potentially rapid
spread of illness. Of course, there would still be a big need for various essential jobs and roles,
including engineers, doctors, teachers, the police and other emergency services.
Botanists to maintain green spaces and grow food; skilled fish farmers;
and, obviously, vastly experienced divers. Desalination plants would be key locations,
as well as communications decks, and likely observatories - in a bid to maintain at least
some connection with the land that (for whatever reason) has been left behind. This would be an
ecosystem and an economy like no other, then, with all new base rules to establish and live by.
Naturally, there would be some massive (and constant) threats and dangers to deal with,
too. As well as the regulation of sunlight, there’d need to be an unbreakable means of
measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide levels for all. High CO2 concentrations, especially,
can sometimes be difficult to detect and can be fatal underwater... with the SEALAB 3 aquanaut,
Berry Cannon, dying because his rebreather had failed to remove CO2, a glitch that had then gone
unnoticed. Around the clock temperature regulation would also be crucial, especially underwater,
to prevent hypothermia. The rise and fall of pressure would be another constant issue, with
all ocean inhabitants susceptible to the bends if their habitat were to move between depths.
Nevertheless, many of the problems that do present themselves are also ones that we seemingly could
face. And, as such, there is a growing number of individuals and companies that are now trying
to make ocean living viable. The architect Jacques Rougerie, for example, has designed
many underwater habitats and now hosts an annual competition for underwater village proposals.
He has also provided plans for an underwater version of the International Space Station for
the near future, called SeaOrbiter. Similarly, the Bjarke Ingels Group - based in Copenhagen
and New York - has created a concept for floating-but-artificial islands, known as Oceanix
City, in a bid to further show how the seas might soon become home. And then, construction
of Shimizu’s Ocean Spiral could start around the year 2030, at a cost of $20 billion or more.
We came from the water, and we could one day soon be heading back there. Whether that return
will be forced onto us, or whether we will go willingly remains to be seen… but there
are plenty of options ahead of us to make it happen. In terms of future technology,
best watch this space… because that’s what would happen if humans had to live in the ocean.
What do you think? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments, check out these other
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