FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 27, 2025

New deep-sea research base is called a step toward 'a permanent human presence in the ocean'

British researchers are pioneering a new way to study the ocean. At an abandoned rock quarry, a small company named Deep is using a new type of habitat to see if scientists can live on the sea floor at depths up to 600 feet for weeks, months and possibly even years. "We're trying to bring ocean science and engineering into the 21st century," says project executive Kirk Krack. "By 2030, we hope to see a permanent human presence in the ocean."

Understanding undersea ecosystems and environments is a response to climate changes. Oceans absorb nearly a quarter of human-caused carbon dioxide and roughly 90 percent of the excess heat from human activity. Early this year, Deep plans to test a three-person habitat called Vanguard that's the size of a shipping container. This transportable, pressurized underwater shelter, which can housing divers for a week or so, will be tried at 130 feet deep in a water-filled quarry in Wales, part of the United Kingdom. It's a step to a more permanent system for at least six people scheduled to be ready in 2027, when the exploration firm says divers will be able to work for hours on the seabed before returning to the module for meals and rest.

That second-generation habitat, named Sentinel, also will be designed for relocation to multiple locations and will be expandable for use by up to 50 divers in "multi-nation, semi-permanent research stations" – an aquatic version of the International Space Station orbiting 254 miles above Earth. It'll connect to the outside world via a satellite communications buoy and will be powered by floating renewable-energy farms and fuel cells, or an underwater energy-storage system with multiple batteries. Oxygen will come from large, refillable air tanks stored nearby on the seabed. A "large-scale bio-reactor" will treat waste, the company posts.

Countries, scientific institutes and global research groups will pay to use the new technology. "Countless discoveries are waiting to be made in our oceans, knowledge that will benefit our planet and all of humanity," Deep's website says. "The challenge is access. That's where we come in."

Main advantage: Pressurized lodging allows much longer dives than are possible using scuba methods from the surface.

Sentinel users: The habitat will be staffed mainly by professional divers, but the firm says less experienced scientists and researchers can be trained to work there.

Research chief says: "One of the biggest challenges affecting ocean exploration is the limited time humans can spend on the seabed conducting research. Our habitats will enable scientists to stay underwater for longer, enhancing data collection and research efficiency. . . . Achieving a sustained human presence at the bottom of the ocean is the key to expanding the next great frontier of human knowledge." -- Dawn Kernagis, Deep's head of scientific research

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