The Panchaea (Greek: Παγγαια) are vast installations, constructed within an oceanic body of water, and featured in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It is a geo-engineering project located in the arctic with the goal of curbing global warming.
Background
Designed and funded by the eccentric billionaire and inventor of modern mechanical augmentations, Hugh Darrow, the Panchaea installations are designed to stem the advance of global warming. The Arctic installation that Adam Jensen eventually visits is almost operational, and at least four more are being built around the world - one in the Indian Ocean, another in the south Pacific, and two more in the Atlantic Ocean.
Darrow only hires augmented workers to construct these massive installations and states to Adam Jensen that the installation would not have been possible without them. In an interview with Picus News, Darrow explains that the installation uses iron seeding and geothermal management to regulate the ocean's temperature.
Several people are vocally skeptical, however. A common perception quated by Darrow and several random bystanders, is that Panchaea and its ambitious potential might kill all of humanity. Lazarus believes that the installation is simply a scheme to make money, as Darrow Industries profits from global warming (though everything Lazarus says must be taken with a grain of salt).
Panchaea is a large, deep pit of over 300 meters in diameter. It features two docks that accommodate freighters powered by solar Turbosail from XNG Shipping Company and two tall towers surrounded by cranes and pylons with radar protected by radomes.
Function
The officially stated purpose of Panchaea is to counter the effects of the global warming. In order to do so, the facility promotes growth of phytoplankton by dispersing iron into the ocean. The underlying expectation is that more carbon will be trapped in biomass and then deposited on the ocean floor as sediment. The specifics of the implementation, however, are more vague and little is known about the exact function of the device located inside Panchaea. It contains a ring section like large particle accelerators (especially synchrotons) have. In said subsection of the station superconducting cryodipole magnets confine and accelerate what can be assumed to be iron particles for the experiment. They can be seen in-game flying through the evacuated beam pipes. The large cavity facing the server room is probably the place where they are being used in a way to influence the atmosphere.
Locations within Panchaea
- Hyron Core
- Ring Section
- Tower Section
- Port of Entry
Trivia
- Panchaea is the name of an island, first mentioned by ancient Greek philosopher Euhemerus in the late 4th century BC. It is also similar to the name Pangaea, which is the name for the massive landmass that existed on Earth before it splintered into the separate continents we know today. It also sounds similar to the word 'Panacea', meaning a cure-all remedy, most likely to refer to Panchaea's intended role of stopping global warming.
- Iron fertilization or “iron seeding” is a real, potentially viable geo-engineering technique. The full spectrum of its ecological impact is uncertain at this time.
- It is revealed in the trailer and developer Q&A for Mankind Divided that Panchaea were canonically destroyed at the end of Human Revolution, regardless of what ending the player chooses. At this point, only Jensen was revealed to have survived the base's destruction.
See Also
Gallery
