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 Special note: We will only touch lightly on mariculture and Agriculture here.  SEE:

Considering that Oceanic City will sustain itself on the bounty of the sea, and will strive to develop technologies based upon what can be used out of the ocean, its marine life and the very waters themselves, the last, but not the least important platform will be used for mariculture.

 

 Owing to the structural design of the hexagonal platform in the use of Triangular Cells for each level, a “ring” of structure being 109’ 3 1/16” thick from the inner to the outer wall would be used to create “pens” and “tanks”.

 

The height of the platform will remain constant, two levels being 15’ in height for the buoyancy and ballast cells, a 20’ high level for equipment, with the potential for more buildings on top of the ring.

 

The outer diameter of the ring platform would be 1000’, the inner diameter would be 747’ 8 5/16” (corner to corner) 647’ 6 ¼” The aim is not large-scale fisheries, if anything small scale fisheries that raise a variety of species of fish.

 

The area inside of a ring is about 361,437 square feet of water or 8.29745 acres.

 

The 109’ wide Ring could hold fry pens and egg hatcheries, support buildings: tool sheds, feed storage, pumping facilities, and other equipment.

 

The use of different sized meshes and nets, as a “floor” to the pen would determine what species of fish are raised. Some fish live off of planktons that sink lower in the ocean and night and rise to the surface.  Although Oceanic City will be in one geographic point of the ocean, tides and currents will constantly move the water past the structures.

 

Some species do best in colder waters, in that case a solid floor would work best while the pumping of deep
 seawater from lower depths into the surface pond allowing the warmer water to flow out may work best 
depending on the species.
 
The center floor would be just one 15’ level of cells (to provide buoyancy and insulation from the warm 
surface waters) Adjustments could be made depending on the species.  Land based fish farm “ponds”  
are usually be at least 6 feet deep over 20 percent of the area to maintain maximum production of sport 
fishes. To prevent aquatic weed infestations and other management problems, they avoid shallow water 
areas less than 3 feet. Depths greater than 12 feet seldom provide any productive fisheries benefits 
 because of low summertime dissolved oxygen levels.
 
The problems of aeration and filtering of a fishpond on land is due mainly in that the pond is an artificial 
construction in areas where water is somewhat limited. It is not feasible to pump in a constant stream 
of clean water and there is no place to dump the old.
 
The ocean-based platform if it is “open” bottom (enclosed with net or mesh) would circulate water naturally. 
In the case of solid bottomed ponds needed for either shallow water species or for cold water species, 
pumping of water into the pond would be offset with pumping of water out of the pond.
 
Dumping that used water onto the surface will contaminate the surface waters, potentially spreading 
pollution and disease from farm to farm. Ideally the water pumped up should come from a depth less 
than where the water returns. The ocean naturally layers itself in thermocline regions; only the surface 
is actually affected by wave action, the deeper column of the water is rarely if ever “mixed”. Currents or 
“streams” of ocean water move in different directions depending how deep you go. Used pond water 
dumped to a greater depth would be absorbed by the water at that level and would through the naturally 
occurring currents be moved away from Oceanic City platforms.
 
Further the same processes that the ocean used to recycle wastes will take over, the wastes of the 
fisheries would be absorbed and used by deep-water species.  Sedimentation naturally occurs where 
heavier material from surface dwelling species settles down through the water column, providing food 
resources to deeper dwelling and seabed dwelling species. Even if the used water from the ponds 
stagnated at a depth below the platform, the settling of the wastes would at best create a colony of 
deep-sea species of marine life.
 
 
Deep-sea water is very rich in nutrients compared to surface seawater.
For instance, its phosphate levels are about 10 times higher than surface seawater. It's also a very good 
source of trace elements. Essentially all of the 96 stable elements are found in the deep Seawater, along 
with a few unstable (radioactive) elements such as uranium.
 

It is probable that intensive fish farming will be impractical; warehouse rising of land animals is done to some detriment of the animals. However it is possible to stack individual chicken in chicken sized pens one atop another, fish owing to their nature require room for movement. Species of fish are naturally drawn to schooling (intensive groupings of fish, similar to herds). It would be best to focus on these species of fish, penning a school of fish, feeding and raising them as a school then harvesting. This would but new meaning to the phrase “like shooting fish in a barrel” however the crude notion applies. Instead of hunting down the school of fish, they are exactly where you put them it is only a matter of taking them out of the pen.

 

Platforms used in fisheries will be designed for what species of fish it seeks to raise.

 

It is highly probable that modified platforms, with only a tiny portion above water while the rest resides below the surface will be used to create artificial shallow water for species of fish and plant life that require that environment.

 

Algae, kelps and Planktons:

 

These platforms would be of solid floor construction, where the lowest 15’ buoyancy level would span the 
whole area of the platform, providing 15’ of depth for the inner area of water.  Kept forests are found in 
shallow seas, usually ranging between 15-40m in depth (49 to 131 feet) even shallower waters at 20 feet 
deep) at temperatures of 20 C (68F) however some species prefer colder water. Thermocline in the ocean 
provides us with a range of temperatures at the equator from balmy 25.7C (81.5F) water at depths of about 
000 meters (6561.6 feet) is about 4C (39.2F) for the needs of cold water kelp at 20C water would need to 
be pumped from a depth of only 500 meters (1640 feet)
 
There is a tremendous potential for microscopic algae because there are over 30,000 diverse species, 
with a wide range of physiological and biochemical characteristics, and they can produce anything from
foods and feeds to pharmaceuticals. Micro algae are extremely productive, sometimes growing 100 times 
faster than land plants.

 

It is probable that the mariculture and fish tanks that use deep sea water will have to redeposit its used water back into the depths of the ocean. Although it would be easy to dump the water overboard onto the surface, that would have effects on the surface water and ecology. Each platform will need to anchor itself in the sea via sea anchors. In essence a sea anchor is a long bit of material extending deep into the sea, not reaching the sea floor, but being pulled by deeper currents and masses of moving water acting as a friction break. The plumbing for the deep-sea water pumps will naturally extend 2 to 3 thousand feet deep thus pipes for pumping up and returning the water would serve as sea anchors as well.

 

Coral Reefs a potential possibility adding natural protections and beauty to a location where corals would never exist.

 

Corals come in all shapes and sizes, composed mostly of a thin layer of living organisms who built upon the skeletal remains of their ancestors they form reefs in shallow seas. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most well known and most visited of reefs on the Earth. Scuba drivers are drawn to its beauty and dives take place to view the corals and their attending life forms.

 

In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial animals that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate (limestone) although mankind has other sources of limestone at its disposal to quarry; it is possible that Oceanic City will have to rely upon other sources for this material.

 

Limestone is used for many applications, the most well known and most adaptable is in concrete cement. Pulverized limestone is used as a soil conditioner to neutralize acid soil conditions; it is also used in the manufacture of quicklime (calcium oxide) and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). Since limestone has its uses it may be prudent for Oceanic City to raise coral reefs not only for the biomes that live among coral, but for the coral itself.

 

Marine life tend to create dense populations around coral reefs, where the food chain and protection from predators like sharks make a safe haven for many species. There are relatively few uses for coral directly mankind having found limestone deposits on land to exploit, however the residents of a coral reef have a diverse array of uses by humans. It is therefore desirable to create a coral reef for Oceanic City, not only for its beauty but also to raise species of fish and plants that live in coral reefs.

 

Protection of each community will come in the form of coral reefs floating on platforms that are partially submerged. Perhaps a hexagonal platform where each corner is a tower extending above the sea surface several feet, The ocean side perimeter would be framed out with metal frames as such used in present coral restoration projects. The area on the community side would be covered with sand creating a lagoon or bay like area. Being attached to the outer perimeter of the community artificial beaches could be made, where the platform slopes out of the water toward the community and a layer of sand or soil is planted thereby offsetting the mass of coral on the seaside of the platform with the mass of beach/soil.

 

The inner submerged area could be used for swimming and would most naturally attract shallow dwelling species of marine life. If not attract them due to the distance from continental and natural islands; a program of stocking could be used to create the ecology. 

 

The shores or beaches of the community would naturally draw scuba enthusiasts and other tourist trade. Tourist trade will be one of the major industries in the early years of Oceanic City. Oceanic City will therefore incorporate as much variety and activities as possible.

 

Tides will not exist for a floating community. As the tide rises the platforms will float upward, as the tide lowers the platforms will lower with the water. Thus any structures or levels near or at sea level will remain at sea level all the time the only exception being in the case of waves. The reefs will create a breakwater reducing the impact of waves upon areas that are used as beaches or near sea-level platforms.

 

The creation of coral reef, and beaches would be a step toward creating an artificial island that appears more natural. Instead of just floating platforms, we now have platforms with shoreline and harbors and bays and lagoons forming island-like structures. As time progressed it is possible that communities built solely for the purpose of mimicking atolls and islands will take place. These would be come “natural” resorts where tropical species of plant and animal would reside on top of a floating island hardly distinguishable from natural islands that are atop sea mounts.

 

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