Page 20 - AlertDiver_Spring2013
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T
his year marks the 20
th
anniversary of the
Aquarius undersea habitat. Deployed in 1993 on
Conch Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary, 63 feet beneath the surface and three
miles off Key Largo, Fla., Aquarius provides scientists with
the unique opportunity to reside under the sea for extended
periods. Saturation diving allows training, observations and
experiments not possible using traditional diving methods.
Aquarius, which is owned by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has hosted
117 missions since its deployment. Projects have ranged
from basic marine science, such as studies of coral feeding
mechanics, to educational and outreach missions, such as the
Office of National Marine Sanctuary’s “If Reefs Could Talk.”
Even technology-rich, futuristic NASA Extreme Environment
Mission Operations (NEEMO) have been based at Aquarius.
However, by early 2012 even some of the program’s most
ardent supporters were penning its obituary. Congress had
slashed the program’s funding and slated it for termination.
This ultimately led the University of North Carolina at
Wilmington to relinquish its role as the program’s host
academic institution at year’s end.
Supporters and staff viewed these challenges as an
opportunity for a relaunch. The business of Aquarius Reef
Base is to conduct science and education, but it is a business
nonetheless. The need for rapid evolution of Aquarius’
business model was paramount. To ignite this transformation,
the nonprofit Aquarius Foundation was founded in the
late spring 2012. It brought together a host of creative and
passionate people who developed ways to capitalize on the
program’s appeal beyond its traditional user base.
The new business model provided unprecedented media
access to the researchers and undersea lab, making Aquarius
virtually accessible to people everywhere. During last June’s
NASA mission and July’s “Mission Aquarius,” led by Sylvia Earle
and Mark Patterson, more than 30 writers, cinematographers,
reporters and producers lived and
dived among the aquanauts and
their support staff. The results were
astounding: Nearly 300 news pieces
featuring Aquarius were produced for
top-tier broadcast, print and online
outlets. Coverage reached more than
a million people around the world.
The program also began to leverage social media, an
underutilized tool in ocean sciences, and invited bloggers at major
online news sources to be closely involved with the projects.
These efforts engaged readers in an ongoing conversation that
built a groundswell of support that continues today.
In the fall of 2012, Florida International University (FIU)
began investigating how to become the program’s new host.
FIU has a long history of research in South Florida’s coastal
marine environment. This January FIU received a grant from
NOAA to continue stewardship of the Aquarius Reef Base for
2013 and to work with the Aquarius Foundation to develop
the business model required to make the program sustainable.
The new business model includes support of research
and educational activities funded by federal, state and local
governments. Other users, such as science and engineering
teams from government and industry, can gain access to
Aquarius for a contracted fee.
The program is also exploring ways to encourage citizen
scientists and other nontraditional users to take advantage of
Aquarius’ ability to capture the public’s imagination and interest
in science, technology and the ocean. Donations from private
benefactors and partnerships with
nonprofits will be important aspects of
the program’s future. While challenges
still remain, the future of Aquarius Reef
Base is bright and exciting.
— Thomas Potts
Director, Aquarius Reef Base
Florida International University
DIVE SLATE
//
18
|
SPRING 2013
Aquarius
Lives On
LEARN MORE
For more information about the program or to suggest
project ideas, visit aquarius.fiu.edu.
Facebook:
Twitter:
twitter.com/reefbase
Video:
Aquarius Foundation:
Following uncertainty
last year about the
future of Aquarius
Reef Base, Florida
International
University undertook
stewardship of the
program in
January 2013.
STEPHEN FRINK
STEPHEN FRINK
