Is it possible to...

[PDCWolf]

generate food on an underwater base?

Some rules to follow:

•Technology like synthesizers, extractors, and any other stuff that is "not magic" and that you can explain or imagine how it would work is allowed. (Say, I can't eat rocks, but maybe I can get some basic matter out of it that I can then transform into food).

•No consumption of alive organisms (algae, plankton, fish, etc) unless they can be cultivated and end up being sustainable as resource.

•No food shipping from the surface.

So yeah, only ourselves, technology, water and the seabed.

I though underwater fumaroles would create streams of "stuff" coming upwards and that you could capture and purify said smoke stream and then synthesize what you get into edible (Even if not tasty) food. Then I realized no "stuff" comes up with the smoke the fumaroles produce.

Edited January 8, 2014 by PDCWolf

[SargeRho]

Probably. GMO-Plankton or artificial light greenhouses (if you're too deep under water) will have to do the job tho.

[PDCWolf]

Probably. GMO-Plankton or artificial light greenhouses (if you're too deep under water) will have to do the job tho.

What does GMO-Plankton means? Also, harvest-requiring resources (Algae) and/or greenhouses aren't allowed either. So yeah, I'm pretty much trying to see if it's possible to live from the water or any geological resource (Like the fumaroles I mentioned)

[jwenting]

so you want to live on sea water alone, and what you can filter out of that?

Not going to happen, not long term.

Whales don't migrate for the heck of it, they migrate because the plankton blooms migrate. And that's the only source of food you'd have.

[SargeRho]

What does GMO-Plankton means? Also, harvest-requiring resources (Algae) and/or greenhouses aren't allowed either. So yeah, I'm pretty much trying to see if it's possible to live from the water or any geological resource (Like the fumaroles I mentioned)

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, so you modify existing Plankton for greater nutritional value and yield. And you're not going to live off of black smokers. Our bodies can't process raw elements into food.

[rpayne88]

There are microbes that eat rock. Maybe those could be used to provide nourishment for more advanced life.

[PDCWolf]

so you want to live on sea water alone, and what you can filter out of that?

Not going to happen, not long term.

Whales don't migrate for the heck of it, they migrate because the plankton blooms migrate. And that's the only source of food you'd have.

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, so you modify existing Plankton for greater nutritional value and yield. And you're not going to live off of black smokers. Our bodies can't process raw elements into food.

My bad for explaining myself wrong. The concept I'm trying to do is kind of advanced, I'll modify the op in a second. Should have pointed out that I'm aiming for near/possible tech practices and not for "right now" stuff. Let's say I can harvest individual minerals or proteins or whatever and synthesize them into edible food, would it be possible? I mean, not possible because if the tech exists or is invented then it is possible, but would it be useful and sustainable on the long term? what would be it scale for say 150 people? Would I need a huge processor/extractor/synthesizer for that?

[Tex]

I would suggest hydroponics. A simple underwater greenhouse-ish section with UV lamps would suffice to grow your plants. I would also recommend some shrimp fishing, but only to offset the plant's growth period.

My advice for your hypothetical station: bring a large initial supply of non-perishable food before getting more on your own!

[DaveofDefeat]

People grow pot entirely indoors, don't see why you couldn't grow beans or something.

[Stargate525]

Soil made out of seabed silt SHOULD be fairly good for farming... It's almost all organic detrius. Might need some additional sand or something... And yes, a source of light. Though geothermal would be rather easy to get to as well.

[technicalfool]

You'd need lots (and lots) of light to generate food hydroponically underwater. If you could tap an underwater heat source reliably enough, you could probably generate the probably hundreds of kilowatts required for a self-sufficient base.

One thing to try is so-called aquaponics, or using fish in the hydroponic reservoir to provide nutrients through their waste. This chops down on the need to bring in fertilizers and other chemicals needed to keep the whole set-up balanced. So long as you can feed the fish, they'll feed the plants, and I guess some people might want a fish farm for food anyway.

The water would have to be freshwater for plants that aren't seaweed, I guess. That could be desalinated via the electricity you'd be getting from your underwater vent, nuclear reactor or whatever else is generating piles of electricity. As a side benefit, you get the sea salt out of the process to refine and send back to shore or use.

Edited January 9, 2014 by technicalfool

[Stargate525]

You'd need lots (and lots) of light to generate food hydroponically underwater. If you could tap an underwater heat source reliably enough, you could probably generate the probably hundreds of kilowatts required for a self-sufficient base.

There are hydrothermic vents measured shooting out water at 464 degrees Celsius. Power generation shouldn't be any problem. Just release some of the atmospheres it's under and the stuff will explode into steam. But then you've got the problem that the stuff is so acidic you've basically got superhot vinegar steam...

[peadar1987]

There are hydrothermic vents measured shooting out water at 464 degrees Celsius. Power generation shouldn't be any problem. Just release some of the atmospheres it's under and the stuff will explode into steam. But then you've got the problem that the stuff is so acidic you've basically got superhot vinegar steam...

Use a two-loop system, keep the acidic stuff under pressure in the primary loop, and then boil demineralised water to run a turbine in a secondary.