An ambitious proposal to develop underwater cities has become the brainchild of a Japanese construction company. This aquatic structure is called Ocean Spiral, which consists of mega-sized watertight floating spheres, each of which is tethered by huge spiral paths to the ocean floor and down several kilometers below the surface.
The Ocean Spiral project envisions an eco-friendly habitat as power will be generated by micro-organisms on the seabed to turn carbon dioxide into methane. Methane is a very clean burning fuel that can supply the energy needs of the dwellers in the floating domes. An additional energy source comes from the differential seawater temperatures, known as the thermoelectric effect to generate electrical power directly. Fresh water will be obtained from the reverse osmosis systems which desalinate seawater. Materials may be mined from the ocean floor and transported up along the tethers as required.
Each Ocean Spiral could house a community as large as 5,000 people. The floating sphere could either emerge or submerge depending on the weather conditions.
Whether this underwater fantasy will ever come to fruition remains to be seen. However, the company has claimed that the first underwater city could be built within two decades. Perhaps this can shed light on solving our never-ending problem of land shortage.
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