DEEP Plans To Build Research Center For Underwater Scientists On Wales Beach

DEEP plans to build a 660-foot research center off the coast of Wales (photo: dock. DEEP)

An idea to live under the sea for a month might make anyone who claustrophobic feel anxious. However, that could be a reality in three years, if the new design was an indication.

Scientists from DEEP have revealed plans to build a 660-foot research center off the coast of Wales, where researchers can stay for up to 28 days at once.

The center, called Sentinel, will provide scientists with wider access to the Epipellakik Zone, where an estimated 90 percent of marine life is found.

"The ability to comprehensively explore all parts of this marine zone rather than just carrying out incident from the surface, will be a major change in the way scientists can observe, monitor and understand oceans," the DEEP said, quoted by DailyMail.

The Epipellakik zone is often referred to as the sun's zone, and runs from a surface of up to 200 meters (660 feet). "That's a zone where most of the light is visible," NOAA explained.

"With sunlight coming hot from the sun, which is responsible for broad temperature variations across this zone, both with seasons and latitudes - sea surface temperatures ranging from as high as 97$F (36$C) in the Persian Gulf to 28$F (-2$C) near the North Pole," said DEEP.

Currently, scientists can explore this zone with submersibles, but usually only be able to stay underwater for a few hours.

To provide researchers with longer access to this zone, DEEP proposed the construction of a permanent center off the west coast of England.

"We need to preserve the ocean. To do so, we need to understand it. The Ocean occupies a central position in many of the challenges the world faces, and they also offer opportunities that we don't understand yet. They are a source of at least every two breaths we take. They affect the weather. They affect the climate, "said Steve Etherton, President, EMEA DEEP.

"They influence us. However, this life-giving ecosystem remains very unknown. Through our innovative technology, DEEP will allow scientists to operate at depths for a longer period of time and we hope, in a small way, it will contribute to our understanding of the environment that gives this life," said Etherton.

The plan reveals that the center will have a central 'Large Aula', with laboratories on the mezannine floor on top of it. Scientists will live in private bedrooms equipped with single beds equipped with storage in frames and small side dishes, while their bathrooms have extensive showeres, as well as toilets and sinks. Meanwhile, the kitchen has a dining table, a simple kitchen, and a large window facing the seabed.

The first DEEP center will be off the coast of Southwestern England and Wales, although the exact location is not yet clear. It is also unclear how much it costs to build the center, although MailOnline has also contacted DEEP for clarification.