Photo: Retrieved from upi.com
The first “underwater space station of the ocean” to study marine life and climate change is closer to reality now that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Proteus Ocean Group have agreed to develop and build the underwater habitat.
PROTEUS will be built off the Caribbean island of Curaçao, NOAA and Proteus Ocean Group announced Wednesday after signing a formal agreement last month.
The new lab will allow scientists, innovators and even private citizens to live underwater for extended periods of time to study the diverse biology at the ocean floor and learn new ways to protect the ocean and Earth from climate change. While PROTEUS is still in development, there is no timeline yet for construction to begin.
“This partnership has the potential to greatly expand our capabilities in studying the ocean,” Jeremy Weirich, director of NOAA Ocean Exploration, said in a statement.
“By living underwater for extended periods in this new ocean laboratory, we’ll be able to unlock the ocean’s mysteries so that we can better manage, sustainably use, protect and appreciate its resources.”