The exhibition was developed by the Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean” and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. For the first time, the Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht for Materials and Coastal Research with its mobile cupola and the animated film “clockwork ocean” will also take part.
Schleswig-Holstein is known for its lighthouses, coasts and islands. It is not only the most northern federal state, but also the only federal state that has two coasts, at the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. As state between the seas and with the Kiel Canal it is also part of world-wide shipping routes. The people of Schleswig-Holstein have a special relationship with the ocean. Apart from geographical and economic aspects, it also plays a big role in science. Marine research has a long tradition here. Therefore, at the so-called ‘mile of the German federal states’ during the official festivities of the Day of German Unity in Frankfurt am Main, visitors can dive deeply into the world of the oceans in the Schleswig-Holstein tent. This opportunity to experience the ocean is provided by the exhibition of Kiel’s Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean”, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht for Materials and Coastal Research (HZG).
The Kiel world relief map and an unusual topographical globe give the visitors a first impression of the surface of our planet – even in the places where conventional world maps show only water. These central exhibits are surrounded by further topics from current marine research with, in part, interactive modules. In this way visitors can learn how scientists receive information from the inner part of the oceans nowadays, in order to better understand natural climate fluctuations and to predict future climate change. The different stations on fisheries deal, in particular, with these questions: How high are fish stocks overfished? Which fish can I eat with a clear conscience? And how could fishers earn even more money with more careful use of the available stocks?
Original samples from the sea floor, such as a piece of lava from several thousand meters water depth, provide the visitors with a direct image of the fascinating and foreign world of the deep sea. Originals and models of complex research equipment give an impression of the technical effort needed to explore and understand the largest habitat on Earth.
Coastal researchers of the Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht will present their research at the Day of German Unity for the first time. As a highlight they will bring the 70 square meter high mobile copula along with them, in which the animated film “clockwork ocean” will be shown continuously. The fulldome projection deals with the power of very small vortices in the oceans. The impact of these vortices on global processes, such as climate change and the marine food web, have only recently been studied by the scientists. For the interactive diving, the visitors will be able to see an exhibit with which they can virtually dive from the atmosphere onto the sea floor. Moreover, a measurement instrument “glider”, brought along by Geethacht’s coastal researchers, demonstrates how measured data can be extracted from the sea. The scientists will also present their second main area of specialization, materials research, with the hydrogen-speedster. The light fuel cell vehicle can drive the equivalent of 2,500 kilometers with only one liter fuel and can be seen in Frankfurt.
Staff members of the participating institutions will be available to answer questions and provide detailed information about the exhibition during the opening times of the ‘mile of the federal states’. Those who are not able to participate in the Day of German Unity in Frankfurt can follow the exhibition online. The team from Schleswig-Holstein marine research will report about the topics presented and answer questions on www.oceanblogs.org/oceannavigator . Users of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram will find a summary of all events under the hashtag #OzeanFFM. The entire team is looking forward to many visitors, interesting questions and exciting discussions in Frankfurt.
Links:
www.ozean-der-zukunft.de The Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean”
www.hzg.de The Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht
www.uhrwerk-ozean.de The Project of Geesthacht’s coastal researchers
Contact:
Jan Steffen (GEOMAR, Communication & Media), Phone: +49 431 600-2811
presse@geomar.de
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