Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 10/18/2010

Question
Dear Dr. Krempels,

I am writing a science ficiton book that features a biodome. If you had your pick of locations in the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) where would be the ideal place to build a biodome (closed-biosphere) and why?

I appreciate your help!
Best,
Camille

Answer
Hi, Camille

I'm not an expert on this, so my ideas are purely educated guesses.  But here goes.

You wouldn't want it to be too hot or too sunny, since it would take more energy to keep the dome cool, so I'd avoid the lower latitudes.

Similarly, you wouldn't want to spend too much energy/money keeping it warm if there was insufficient sunlight, so a place like Seattle would be out.

I'd say a temperate area somewhere like Arizona or Colorado would be a good choice; a relatively dry one so you would not have to deal with the complications of excessive snow.

Just some thoughts. You might want to Google Biosphere I and find out why they chose Arizona foothills as their location.

Good luck!

Dana