ON THESE SUCCESSES.
MAYOR SUAREZ ANNOUNCED HIS
INITIATIVE TO START A BUSINESS
FROM YOUR CELL PHONE, CALLING
IT A START.
4 MILES OFF OF FLORIDA
KEYS, ABOUT 50 FEET DOWN, SINCE
THE ONLY UNDERSEA SIGNS LAB IN
THE WORLD.
THE WORK DONE IN THE LAB IS
GETTING AS INSIGHT INTO GLOBAL
WARMING.
MARK PHILLIPS TAKES US INSIDE
AQUARIUS.
Reporter: ABOVE 5 MILES OFF
THE FLORIDA KEYS IS AN
UNDERWATER LAB CALLED THE
AQUARIUS WREATH BASE.
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO
IT.
THE LAB SITS THIS 50 FEET DOWN
ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.
IT'S ONLY RECENTLY COME BACK
INTO SERVICE AFTER BEING
KNOCKED OUT OF COMMISSION BY
HURRICANE IRMA TWO YEARS AGO.
THIS STORM DAMAGED THE SURFACE
UNIT THAT PROVIDES POWER AND
PUMPS AIR DOWN TO THE LAB.
AND ENOUGH PRESSURE TO KEEP
THAT AIR IN AND THE WATER OUT.
INSIDE, YOU SWIM INTO WHAT THEY
CALL THE WHAT PORCH.
FOR GOOD REASON.
IT'S GOT ALL THE COMFORTS OF
HOME, IF YOU'RE A FISH.
UNDERWATER SHOWER.
Reporter: A WORLD WHERE THE
ON BOARD ELECTRONICS COULD
INTERFERE WITH TV MATRIX.
RING SCIENTISTS SPENT A LOT OF
TIME DOWN HERE AS PART OF THE
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
UNIVERSITY TEAM THAT ONCE THE
PLAYS.
ONCE YOU'RE IN IT, IT FEELS
LIKE AN UNDERWATER RV.
WITH THE DIFFERENCE --
MAKING SURE THAT OXIDANTS
COMES THROUGH.
THE CO2 IS THE RIGHT LEVEL AND
ALL THIS STUFF.
YOU CAN FORGET YOU ARE 50
ODD FEET BELOW THE SURFACE.
THE POINT OF BEING DOWN HERE
IS THAT LIVING ON THE SEAFLOOR
MEANS SCIENTISTS CAN DO MORE
THAN JUST THE RELATIVELY SHORT
DIVES THAT ARE POSSIBLE FROM
THE SURFACE.
ONCE ACCLIMATIZED TO THE
PRESSURE, THEY CAN STAY UP FOR
HOURS.
AND DOWN HERE, FOR DAYS.
THEY ALMOST BECOME, SAYS MARINE
ECOLOGIST MIKE, SEA CREATURES
THEMSELVES.
YOU CAN BE THE OCEAN.
YOU REALLY CAN BE THE OCEAN.
YOU GET A SENSE OF CHANGE.
LITTLE TINY DIVES.
YOU KEEP AN EYE ON WHAT THE
READS ARE DOING.
HERE'S ONE OF THE MAJOR
PROBLEMS THE AQUARIUS
SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING ON.
HURRICANE IRMA ALSO DID MAJOR
DAMAGE TO THE SEAGRASS BEDS THAT
GROW JUST OFF THE COAST.
WHAT IS THAT MATTER?
THINK GREENHOUSE GASES AT
GLOBAL WARMING.
THERE'S AS MUCH CO2 STORED
IN SEAGRASS MEADOWS AS THERE IS
IN AQUA FORESTS.
SO AN ACRE OF THE AMAZON
RAIN FOREST COMPARED TO AN ACRE
OF SEAGRASS, WHICH IS A GOOD
THING?
IT IS A GOOD THING.
WE ARE LOSING SEAGRASS IS
FASTER THAN WE ARE LOSING
QUARRY'S.
Reporter: TURTLES EAT
SEAGRASS AND THERE ARE FEWER
SHARKS AROUND TO EAT TURTLES.
THE GRASS NEVER GETS A CHANCE
TO GROW BACK.
IF THEIR BUDDY GETS EATEN.
JUST HAVING SHARKS IN THE
AREA CONTROLS THE NUMBER OF
TURTLES THAT ARE EATING THE
SEAGRASS?
ABSOLUTELY.
Reporter: IT'S THE KIND OF
OBSERVATION THAT TAKES THE TIME
ONLY A PLACE THAT AQUARIUS CAN
PROVIDE.
MORE AND MORE OF THE WORLD'S
OCEANS AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN
FROM GREENHOUSE GASES AND
GLOBAL WARMING IS BECOMING A
CRUCIAL PART OF CLIMATE
SCIENCE.
AND THAT STUDY HAS MADE A WHOLE
LOT EASIER TO LIVE DOWN HERE.
IF
THAT WAS MARK PHILLIPS
REPORTING.
NEXT WEEK, A LANDMARK CLIMATE
ACTION SUMMIT WILL BE HELD AT