Q U E S T I O N

So at the end of the shipping container I am going to pose a question which will be in quite a large front so it can be seen from 12metres away at the entrance to the container.  The answer to the question will be all the way at the end of the container, drawing people in to walk the length of the interior, being immersed in the sea water rising, temperature changing to a warmer atmosphere and the lights becoming dimmer, apart from the brightly lit back wall with the text. Once the people have walked the length of the container, part way through the weight of the people will stimulate the container to tip slightly down while walking, a spring will be attached to the guide rope so the tipping isn't sudden, this stimulates the water levels rising also. Once at the end the person will be able to read the answer to the question the read from far a back.

Now I need to figure out what my question and answer is going to be as it is quite a crucial aspect of my design. It needs to be informative in relation to global warming and climate change and the effects of the warmer weather to sea levels. It also needs to be short, as people won't be able to absorb and remember a lot of information at once.

Finding question and answers online...

-Has the temperature been rising steadily in recent years?
There have been decades in the 20th century when the temperature rose and decades when it fell. Up through the end of the 1990s, there had been a recent warming trend. So far, it is unclear whether this is continuing in the 21st century. A warming trend began around 1850, lasting until the1940s, when temperatures began to cool again, followed by a leveling off of temperature in the 1950s, and a further drop during the 1960s. After that, the average surface temperature rose.

-Is the sea level rising rapidly because of global warming?
The sea level has been rising at about a 18 cm (7 inches) a century since the end of the last ice age. Between 1993 and 2003, the sea level rose about 3.1mm/year, or a rate of 31 cm (about 1 foot) a century. 

-Will some island nations disappear due to sea-level rise?
Yes, even from the background rate (the rate at which the sea level has been rising without global warming). But the jury is still out as to whether the sea level is rising more rapidly than that, and therefore might be causing accelerated problems of this kind. 

http://www.danielbbotkin.com/2009/04/11/some-basic-global-warming-questions-and-answers/

-Should I be worried about climate change? Will it affect me personally

A. Rising global temperature means more than just extra time to wear shorts and sandals. An increase of just a few degrees in average temperature can cause dramatic changes in conditions that are important to the quality of life—and even the Earth’s ability to support life. We may not always see or feel it directly, but climate change affects us all. For one person it might mean paying more for food because flooding or drought has damaged crops. For another it might mean a higher risk of contracting a disease like malaria, which spreads more easily in warm, wet climates. Someone else might face losing her home or even life in a catastrophic weather disaster made worse by global warming.

Almost everyone is vulnerable to the effects of weather-related disasters, but people in poor countries face a far greater threat due to risk factors that include inadequate housing located on flood plains and steep hillsides, weak healthcare systems, and heavy economic dependence on agriculture. It is not uncommon for single weather events, such as tropical cyclones and floods, to kill thousands of people in regions such as South Asia, southern China, and Central America. If the warming continues for years and sea levels rise as predicted, then a great many people will become climate refugees—because their homes and countries will be under water. Rising sea levels will also affect people in U.S. coastal regions, from the Outer Banks of North Carolina and much of Florida, to Louisiana, to California. Already, rising seas are forcing communities in Alaska to move inland, at very high cost to the state.

- What is the scientific consensus on the causes and consequences of climate change? 

A. Global warming is real. The global average temperature in 2003 was the third hottest since record keeping began in the late 1800s (1998 was the first, 2002 was second), and the ten warmest years on record have occurred since 1990. The 1990s was the warmest decade in the Northern Hemisphere in the past 1,000 years.

What some scientists continue to debate is the extent to which humans are affecting global temperatures and causing climate change. But the majority of scientists who study these issues around the world—including those with the World Meteorological Organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences—agree that humans are the main force behind the sharp global warming trend of the past century.

Most scientists agree that the climate changes caused by global warming will never be completely predictable, but that they present serious risks—more extreme temperatures (hot and cold), greater storm intensity and frequency, more frequent droughts and floods, and rising sea levels—that warrant immediate efforts to reduce emissions from fossil fuels.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3949#b1

I like the idea of making it personal because then it has more affect, such as 'Should I be worried about climate change?' then answering that question as briefly as possible. 

Should I be worried about Climate Change?

yes you should! Rising global temperatures can cause dramatic changes on Earths ability to support life. Climate change affects us all especially low lying countries as sea levels are rising due to the warmer temperatures. We may not always see it or feel it directly, but it is here and it is real. Don't wait till its too late.

or

Have you noticed the water rising? 

P R O G R E S S I O N

W A T E R P U M P ?

Researching ways in which to move water from the sea up and into the top of the shipping container to fill the space in the walls with water representing sea levels rising. The movement of going up is quite possibly going to require a pump. The video above is of sound moving water particles up, I think it is a very interesting concept but won't be very practical for my shipping container. 

The idea of using air pressure to pump the water up into the shipping container I think will work. All I need is a couple a tubes running up the side of the shipping container and something to compress air from the bottom to pump the water up the tube and out into the top of the shipping container.

This diagram above shows what I will put on the outside of the shipping container.  For the compressed air I will need a generator or something to create the air pressure and I could place this on the side of the shipping container, so its not so obviously in the view of public. 

E X H I B I T I O N

Section

Perspective

Plan Perspective

P R E S E D E N T S

-The Water Planet- 

Exhibition Designer: Thinc
Wall Designer: Urban A&O

The Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco exhibits the diversity of life on earth and the varied habitats it creates. No aquarium has ever provided an encompassing view of the link between water and life that makes this planet unique.  The centrepiece of The Steinhart Aquarium is The Water Planet, a 10,000 square foot exhibition incorporating new modes of exhibition, design and technology. The space integrates living animals and powerful multimedia in order to bring complex natural phenomena within ready grasps of young visitors and families.

What I like about this exhibition is the interior walls and there reflection of the sensuality of water. As I am integrating real water into my exhibition this is just another way at looking at an artificial way of symbolising water instead of using the real thing.

https://karmatrendz.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/the-water-planet-by-urban-ao/

-Raindrop-

Designer: Myungsu Seo
Year: 2014-2015

South Korean artist Seo is inspired by nature. She is especially fascinated by the element of water. Derived from the fact that water contains life and ancient memories from places and people from over the world. Seo creates installations from glass drops filled with water. This way she catches the experiences from the past and cherishes them. She blows every glass drop herself which makes every drop unique.

What I like about Seo's work is the uniqueness of it.  I like the idea of filling a glass drop with water rather than drips of water dripping into my exhibition piece.  But I do think the noise is important to incorporate into the space.

P R O G R E S S

Week four review on narrative and exhibition space was very helpful.  Initially I was headed in the direction of educating the public about the important research that occurs on Antarctica but now I'm headed in a slightly different direction.  The outcome of this scientific research is to get an idea of climate change/ global warming in the past and predicting what may happen in the future. It is quite clear that humans are speeding up climate change due to pollution etc.  For my narrative now I am explaining the effects of global warming on Antarctica in regards to ice melting as temperatures are rising and so sea levels rising which effects the whole world.

-Sea levels rising due to global warming-

To show this narrative for my exhibition I am going to need a 12metre long shipping container to create a much greater effect on the public.  When a person enters the exhibition the space will be lit with lights going from cool to warm to hot (infrared lights) and the strength of the lights will also change. This will stimulate a temperature change in the space and the darker lighting also emits a warmer atmosphere.  Along either side of the walls will be elevating water levels from the start to the end on a diagonal representing the water levels rising and these will have water in them so it is more realistic. Walking through the space the lighting will get dimmer but right at the end will be something to draw you in, spot lit up.  I was thinking maybe a drips of water and maybe this sound would then echo throughout the container so the noise and light at the end will draw you in.  On the wall I was thinking of putting a 'quote' or something of importance, not too much information as I think this won't be absorbed and will come across as quite boring.  The sentence 'Don't wait till it's too late" has so far stood out to be more than anything else so I will start with this idea and then explore further with others.

P O S T E R S

S E A L E V E L S

Current rates of sea-level rise are expected to increase as a result both of thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of most mountain glaciers and partial melting of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice caps. Consequences include loss of coastal wetlands and barrier islands, and a greater risk of flooding in coastal communities. Low-luinh areas, such as the coastal region along the Gulf go Mexico and estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay are especially vulnerable.

-Warning signs today-

Global sea level has already risen by 4 to 8 inches in the past century, and the pace of sea level rise appears to be accelerating,  The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea levels have been rising faster than the upper end of the range predicted.

In the 1990s, the Greenland ice mass remained stable, but the ice sheet has increasingly declined in recent years.  This melting currently contributes an estimated one-hundreth of an inch per yea to global se level  rise.

Greenland holds 10 percent of the total global ice mass. If it melts, sea levels could increase by up to 21 feet.

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons4.asp

N A R R A T I V E

-Antarctica Ice Melting Global Warming -

Antarctica is melting. The ice mass is dropping at an accelerating rate due to multiple factors including accelerated glacial ice calving rates.  The loss of sea based ice allows the Antarctic ice to move faster towards the ocean resulting in an increased rate of loss to the Antarctic ice.
Antarctica is losing ice mass while gaining ice extent. Land ice is different to sea ice. Antarctica is losing ice as illustrated below in the ice mass chart from the GRACE satellite.

http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/antarctic-ice-melt

D I G I T A L I D E A S

P L A N S F O R E X H I B I T I O N

P R E S E N T A T I O N N O T E S

-Main points to be made- 

-The only temporary people on Antarctica are scientists.

-These scientist carry out research exhibitions like drilling for ice cores secreted from the ice surface.

-From these ice cores the scientists can recover important information. 

-The ice cores are cut into sections and melted to require information 

-The ice gives us information on how much carbon dioxide or/and methane was in the atmosphere at that given time as air bubbles have been frozen into the ice.

-This research can help with future predictions of global warming/climate change, in relation to patterns and what has happened in the past. 

S H I P P I N G C O N T A I N E R H O M E

Unrelated to exhibitions but found this book in the library where they have created a home out of two shipping containers and thought it was somewhat topical in relation to this paper. 

I M A G E R E S E A R C H

Ice cores are drilled in long cylinder lengths like the one above.

This diagram shows the variation in the ice core and the bubbles in the ice made up of greenhouse glasses which can be related back to climate in the atmosphere of that particular historic time period. 

The ice cores are sliced into sections to get a better determination of whats in the ice core. 

These sections are generally the ones containing 'frozen' atmospheric particles of greenhouse gases which can be melted down on special laboratory equipment determining the amount of carbon dioxide or methane that was in the air in that time period/zone. 

The ice cores are all carefully labeled and stored for further research and information. 

I C E C O R E S

Ice cores provide direct information about how greenhouse gas concentrations have changed in the past, and they also provide direct evidence that the climate can change abruptly under some circumstances. However, they provide no direct analogue for the future because the ice core era contains no periods with concentrations of carbon dioxide comparable to those of the next century.

-What are ice cores?-

Ice cores are cylinders of ice drilled out of an ice sheet or glacier. The longest ice core extended to 3km in depth.  The oldest continuous ice core records to date extend 800,000 years in Antarctica. Ice cores contain information about past temperature, and about many other aspects of the environment. The ice encloses small bubbles of air that contain a sample of the atmosphere, from these it is possible to measure directly the past concentration of gases (carbon dioxide and methane) in the atmosphere.

-What do the gases mean?-

Ice core measurements allow us to extend way back into the past based upon measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is possible to measure concentrations in air from as recently as the 1980s that is already enclosed in bubbles within the ice.  The ice cores act as a faithful recorder of atmospheric concentration.

Antarctic ice cores show the concentration of carbon dioxide was stable over the last millennium until the early 19th century.  It then started to rise, and its concentration is now nearly 40% higher than it was before the industrial revolution. Other measurements confirm that the increase must be due to emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel usage and deforestation.  Measurements from other older ice cores confirm that both the magnitude and rate of recent increase are almost certainly unprecedented over the last 800,000 years.  The fastest large natural increase measured in older ice cores is around 20ppmv (parts per million by volume)  in 1,000 years.  Carbon dioxide concentration increased by the same amount, 20ppmv, in the last 10 years. Methane, another important greenhouse gas, also shows a huge and unprecedented increase in concentration over the last two centuries.  Its concentration is now much more than double its pre-industrial level.  This is mainly due to the increase in emissions from sources such as rice fields, ruminant animals and landfills, that come on top of natural emissions from wetlands and other sources.

-How are ice cores related to climate change?- 

By measuring the ratios of different water isotopes in polar ice cores, we can determine the temperature in Antarctica has changed in the past.  The oldest ice core that extends back to 800,000 years, shows a succession of long, cold 'glacial' periods, interspersed roughly every 100,000 years by warm 'interglacial' periods.  This succession of events is well-known from other records, and the coldest periods in Antarctica are the tomes when we had ice ages.

-Whats the connection between greenhouse gases and glacial-interglacial cycles?-

From the air trapped in the oldest Antarctic ice core, we can see that carbon dioxide changed in a remarkably similar way to Antarctic climate, with low concentrations during cold times, and high concentrations during warm periods.  This is entirely consistent with the idea that temperature and carbon dioxide are intimately linked, and each acts to amplify changes in the other.  It is believed that warmings out of glacial periods are paced by changes in Earths orbit around the Sun, but the tiny changes in climate this should cause are amplified, mainly by the resulting increase in carbon dioxide, and by the retreat of sea ice and ice sheets.  Looking at the warming out of the last glacial period in detail, we can see how remarkably closely Antarctica temperature and carbon dioxide tracked each other.  It is often said that the temperature leads the carbon dioxide during the warming out of a glacial period.  On the most recent records, there is a hint that the temperature started to rise slightly before the carbon dioxide, as expected if changes in Earth's orbit cause an initial small warming.  But for most of the 6,000 year long transition, Antarctica temperature and carbon dioxide rose together, consistent with the role of carbon dioxide as an important amplifier of climate change.  In our modern era, of course, it is human emissions of carbon dioxide that are expected to kick-start the sequence of events.  We see no examples in the ice core record of a major increase in carbon dioxide that was not accompanied by an increase in temperature.  Methane concentration also tracks the glacial-interglacial changes, probably because there were less wetlands in the colder, drier glacial periods.

-What does this mean for climate change?- 

The climate changes described above were huge, but relatively gradual.  However, ice cores have provided us with evidence that abrupt changes are also possible.  Other records show us that major changes in atmospheric circulation and climate were experienced all around the northern hemisphere. Antarctica and the Southern Ocean experienced a different pattern, consistent with the idea that these rapid jumps were caused by sudden changers in the transport of heat to the ocean.  At this time, there was a huge ice sheet over northern North Atlantic.  Freshwater delivered from the ice sheet to the North Atlantic  was able periodically to disrupt the overturning of the ocean, causing the transport of tropical heat to the north to reduce and then suddenly increase again.  While the mechanism cannot occur in the same way in today's world, it does show us that, at least regionally, the climate is capable of extraordinary changes within a human lifetime - rapid switches we certainly want to avoid experiencing.

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/bas_research/science_briefings/icecorebriefing.php