EOS1.2 | Exploring the Art-Science Interface

EOS1.2

Interdisciplinary collaboration between artists and geoscientists are becoming increasingly invaluable in communicating complex geoscience subjects to non-experts. Topics such as climate change can be contradictory and confusing to the general public, particularly in terms of uncertainty and impact. It is therefore vital that STEM communicators work to find alternative methods to enable dialogue between experts and the wider public on how to face and respond to these increasingly prevalent topics. It is becoming increasingly evident that both the scientific and the artist communities have a shared interest and responsibility in raising awareness of the limits to our planetary boundaries and the fragile stability and resilience of our Earth-System. In the past, this issue has been addressed mostly through traditional educational methods. However, there is mounting evidence that science-art collaborations can play a pivotal and vital role in this context by co-creating new ways of research and by stimulating the discussion by providing emotional and human context through the arts.

This session will combine a traditional academic poster session showcasing interdisciplinary research which will explore the dialogues between the geosciences and the arts alongside a display of art that aims to visually showcase these practises in action. Through symbiotically mixing STEM and the arts together in this way, the session aims to enable a discussion on how to use the two to explore and communicate the social, economic, political and environmental factors facing society and drive improved communication.

Share:

Co-organized by GM13

Convener: Kelly Stanford | Co-conveners: Daniel Parsons, Michael Lazar

Orals

| Mon, 24 Apr, 14:00–15:22 (CEST)

Room 1.34

Posters on site

| Attendance Mon, 24 Apr, 16:15–18:00 (CEST)

Hall X2

Orals: Mon, 24 Apr | Room 1.34

The oral presentations are given in a hybrid format supported by a Zoom meeting featuring on-site and virtual presentations. The button to access the Zoom meeting appears just before the time block starts.

Chairpersons: Kelly Stanford, Daniel Parsons, Michael Lazar

14:00–14:02

Introductions

14:02–14:12

EGU23-1873

Virtual presentation

From art to the sustainability of coasts and seas

Ana Matias, Ana Rita Carrasco, Bruno Pinto, and Jaime Reis

Sustainability is a universal goal by which human development balances social, economic, and environmental dimensions, applicable to both terrestrial and marine environments. Several authors argue that arts are valuable tools to frame and engage with current environmental issues related to sustainability, including pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. In this work, we ask - what is the role of art in the sustainability of coasts and seas? To address this question, we conducted a systematic literature review about how artistic practices contribute to sustainability in coastal and marine environments. We searched the two most important scientific databases of articles (Scopus and Web of Science) and retrieved 1352 articles. Several screening tasks were made to narrow the articles to 79 studies that address our research question. For each article, we identified and categorised the art form, target audience, geographical location, expected impact, and method to measure the impact. We found a variety of artworks from the four art categories (Literary, Media, Performing, and Visual) around the world, but more frequently in the US, UK, and Australia. In this review, we deal largely with the use of art in local issues, rather than at a global scale. Visual Art is the most frequent art category (~40%), comprising painting, carving, photography, comics, and architecture, amongst others. Nevertheless, there are mentions of 26 artworks from Performing Arts, 22 from Media Arts, and 16 from Literary Arts. We found that different artists address or are inspired by the same sustainability-related theme, for example, the ocean’s vulnerability is portrayed in a poem and in a theatre play. Only 19 articles measured the impact of artistic activities on their audience. Engagement is a highlighted pursued impact (~40%); however, other authors also intend to promote marine conservation and restoration, management, education, and activism. Art contributions to sustainability are recurrently made through raising awareness, learning, and promoting engagement and enjoyment of artistic project participants. With this systematic review, we set the current state of knowledge on an emerging topic and argue that further research and new strategies of impact measurement are needed to gain a deeper understanding of the role of art on coastal/marine sustainability.

How to cite: Matias, A., Carrasco, A. R., Pinto, B., and Reis, J.: From art to the sustainability of coasts and seas, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1873, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1873, 2023.

14:12–14:22

EGU23-4635

On-site presentation

Soil Zones of the Canadian Prairies: Creating Art to Visualize the Concept

Ken van Rees

Agriculture students, soil science faculty and farmers are familiar with the popular soil zone concept map for the Canadian Prairies. The map, first depicted by Professor AH Joel back in 1928 was based on organic matter contents as affected by climate and parent materials. Newer versions of the soil zone map have been created with colors associated with each soil zone (Brown, Dark Brown, Black, Gray and Dark Gray) that most people would be familiar with today. However, even though we have this mental picture of the color associated with the soil zones, what do the soils really look like if one were to visit sites in each of the different soil zones? Thus, the objective of the project was to collect surface soils samples from N-S transects along three highways in the province of Saskatchewan to convey the soil zones visually through art. Soil samples were collected every 25 km along the three highway transects: one in the east (Highway 9), one in the middle (Highway 2) and the west side of the province (Highway 21). Soil samples were dried, ground and sieved and then the samples used to create soil rubbings on watercolor paper for each of the transects. These transects would then be hung in the College of Agriculture building. A booklet would be developed with QR codes identifying where the samples were collected (GPS, nearest town, land management) and the organic matter content of the soils (measured in the soil science laboratory) that would be used for educational purposes whether in our soil science labs, lectures or summer children camps. This presentation will highlight the development of this project and how the information was used to visually communicate to students and the public the science behind the soil zones of the province.

How to cite: van Rees, K.: Soil Zones of the Canadian Prairies: Creating Art to Visualize the Concept, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4635, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4635, 2023.

14:22–14:32

EGU23-6592

Highlight

On-site presentation

“Cambiare il clima”: theatre and academia meet for a new narrative about climate change

Elisa Vanin, Costantino Manes, Marco Andorno, and Sebastiano Amadio

A collaboration between the Department of Environmental, Land and Infrastructure Engineering of Politecnico di Torino and the theatre group Faber Teater resulted in “Cambiare il clima” (Eng: Change the climate, trailer: https://youtu.be/3LTOE3wIoZM): a theatre play taking inspiration from research on climate change monitoring, adaptation and mitigation solutions carried out at Politecnico di Torino, to stimulate reflection on the phenomenon in a wide audience.

The wide theme of climate-related consequences for humankind urges to enter into mainstream storytelling. For a long while, the narrative around climate change struggled to find its place in literature, cinema and other arts (see A. Gosh, The Great Derangement). This play attempts to create such a space by telling a story about what science can do about climate change and the importance to intertwine technological progress with economic and political decisions.

The main challenge in creating the play was to communicate the exciting world of academic research, without giving up scientific rigor and to highlight the surprising common ground of science and theatre, namely their human, practical and even artisanal dimension. Towards this end, artists had to dive into science and engineering while researchers had to raise their awareness about how their work can stimulate emotions, which are key to deliver important messages to society, such as those related to climate change. The goal was to balance lightness, irony and drama, conveying urgency to the audience, without surrendering to sensationalism.

The play was first performed in November 2020 at Politecnico di Torino during Biennale Tecnologia (an important event about technology, in Italy). Since then, it was repeated several times in festivals, events for science communication, schools, etc. It has also received two awards: (1) it was selected among the works published in the Climate ChanCe 2022 creative communication competition organised by Shylock - University Theatre Centre, Venice; (2) one of the videos composing the play won the "Future Earth" award of the Earth Futures Festival, an initiative promoted by UNESCO - International Geoscience Programme and the International Union of Geological Sciences in 2022.

The presentation will include:

- preferably an oral presentation, summarizing the process that led to the design of the play, the incentives that moved both the researchers and the actors in undertaking this initiative, the challenges they faced and the lessons learnt;

- a short video displaying some excerpts from “Cambiare il clima” (with English subtitles), to show the structure of the play, what the researchers’ role was and how they interacted with the actors.

Note to the Conveners: since some of the researchers involved in the play – besides the authors - will attend EGU2023, it will be possible also to involve them to listen about their experience, during the presentation or next to the display.

How to cite: Vanin, E., Manes, C., Andorno, M., and Amadio, S.: “Cambiare il clima”: theatre and academia meet for a new narrative about climate change, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6592, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6592, 2023.

14:32–14:42

EGU23-7861

On-site presentation

Marine Heatwaves – Ocean Research Through Art

Svenja Ryan, Caroline Ummenhofer, and Deb Ehrens

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are extreme events in the ocean when temperatures are well above the long-term average. As global temperatures rise, MHWs are becoming more frequent, more intense, and dramatically impacting marine biodiversity, fisheries, and, ultimately, our coastal communities. The Northeast U.S. continental shelf has become a hotspot for such events in the recent decade. 'Marine Heatwaves' is part of SYNERGY II - a collaboration between Art League Rhode Island and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Self-selected pairs of scientists and artists collaborate to create a 'common language' using the arts to illustrate and communicate science. Through extensive conversations, we examined the scientific and artistic process and were surprised and delighted at the many similarities in our work. We spoke in-depth about the challenges of communicating big ideas, big data, and multi-scale, complex bio-physical interactions in meaningful ways and how we all had to be compelling storytellers. As our 3D kinetic sculptures spin, they capture the ocean's constantly moving and swirling motions. The printed imagery evokes the thrill of discovery and details the complexity and phases of our research: data acquisition from historical sources, research vessels, and remote sensing to ocean and climate model simulations, coding to visualization, and ultimately conveying a message. This collaboration has not only added a new enriching dimension to our work scientifically and artistically but has also inspired students and engaged adults.

How to cite: Ryan, S., Ummenhofer, C., and Ehrens, D.: Marine Heatwaves – Ocean Research Through Art, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7861, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7861, 2023.

14:42–14:52

EGU23-8540

On-site presentation

Composing music for string quartet from earth observation datasets – how does the composer’s intervention enrich sonification works?

Hiroto Nagai

Sonification, making non-verbal sounds from various signals, is being attempted in the field of earth science. A typical motivation is to raise awareness of global warming, resulting in composing musical works from climatic data. The archiving of geoscience data can be an infinite source for composition but basic methodology has not been established. Sound made directly from raw data conversion would not touch human’s emotion greatly. For more musically-meaningful creation we should know how the composer’s personal idea and general music theory can be added to sonificated works to vibrate human emotion. In this study, therefore, an ensemble piece is composed from earth-observational datasets and scientific-and-artistic findings are collected then evaluate effects of artificial editing.

Temporal records of climatic parameters are collected at four sites in the polar regions. An ice-core drilling site in Greenland (SIGMA-D; [59.1°W, 78.6°N]), satellite-communication facilities in the Svalbard islands (SvalSat; [15.4°E, 78.2°N]), a Japanese Antarctic base (Showa Station; [39.6°E, 69.0°S]), and an ice-core drilling site in the Antarctica (Dome Fuji; [39.7°E, 77.3°S]). These are assigned to two violins, one viola, and one cello.

Temporal records of downward shortwave/longwave radiations, surface temperature, cloud optical thickness and precipitation amount are obtained from ERA5 (1981~) and MODIS products (2000~) via Google Earth Engine. Those exported values are converted to tone pitches in the 12-tone scale and saved as MIDI files. The MIDI files are imported and edited in a DAW software, Logic Pro. The composer performs (1) transpose to available and effective position for string instruments, (2) arrangements on tone length, rhythm, and volume dynamics, (3) orchestration and articulation definitions (e.g. staccato, pizzicato, legato, sul tasto and sul ponticello). The composer's subjective ideas based on classical music theory are less prevalent in the beginning and more dominant in the end.

A six-minute work namely String Quartet No.1 "Polar Energy Budget" was composed (http://urx.blue/WCIp). Contained tone sequences are categorized into three patterns of (1) seasonal-cycle dominance, (2) that with continuous bottom tones (e.g. winter solar radiation at the poles), and (3) randomness dominance (i.e. precipitation). Actual performance gave an impression of “minimal music with irreproducible swaying” because of small fluctuations along the seasonal cycles. Careful definition of tone range was needed to avoid unplayable tones, whereas 12-tone definition enables straight transpose without considering the harmonic theory. Dynamics of tension and relaxation throughout the piece can only be made by the composer's idea.

This study demonstrated the availability of geoscience sonification and application for string quartet. For scientists, a new way to explain various aspects of the earth system with emotional approaches was given. For artists, expanding availability of music composition was suggested. The impression of “minimal music with irreproducible swaying” implies a new musical style, which was not easily and automatically done in previous ways of contemporary music. Not only scientists but also artists might be regular users of earth observation dataset.

How to cite: Nagai, H.: Composing music for string quartet from earth observation datasets – how does the composer’s intervention enrich sonification works?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8540, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8540, 2023.

14:52–15:02

EGU23-8658

ECS

On-site presentation

The Virtual Water Gallery: Changing Attitudes through Art

Louise Arnal, Martyn P. Clark, Stacey Dumanski, Efthimia Kosmas, John W. Pomeroy, and Corinne Schuster-Wallace

Water is life. Water-related challenges, such as droughts, floods, wildfires, water quality degradation, permafrost thaw and glacier melt, exacerbated by climate change, affect everyone. Yet, it is challenging to communicate science on difficult, highly volatile topics such as water and climate change. Conceptualizing water-related environmental and social issues in novel ways, with engagement between diverse audiences may lead to comprehensive solutions to these complex challenges. Art can be a catalyst in the co-creation of new knowledge for the benefit of society.

The Virtual Water Gallery (VWG) is a transdisciplinary science and art project of the Global Water Futures (GWF) program. Launched in 2020, the VWG aims to provide a collaborative space for dialogues between water experts, artists, and the wider public, to explore water challenges. As part of this project, 13 artists representing women’s, men’s and Indigenous voices across Canada were paired with teams of GWF scientists to co-explore specific water challenges in various Canadian ecoregions and communities. These collaborations led to the co-creation of artworks exhibited online on the VWG (www.virtualwatergallery.ca) in 2021.

The VWG recently came to life in 2022 with an in-person exhibition in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Surveys were developed to capture changes in perspectives regarding climate change and water challenges through this art-science exhibit. Participants of the VWG (artists and scientists), visitors to the online gallery, and visitors to the in-person exhibition in Canmore were all invited to take part in those surveys. The preliminary results from the surveys suggest that participants experienced changes in behaviour regarding water-related climate change mitigation, and that the degree of change depends on factors such as age, income and lived experience (i.e., floods and droughts). The results help elucidate how art viewers engage with art based on science and how science messages can be more effectively communicated through art.

How to cite: Arnal, L., Clark, M. P., Dumanski, S., Kosmas, E., Pomeroy, J. W., and Schuster-Wallace, C.: The Virtual Water Gallery: Changing Attitudes through Art, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8658, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8658, 2023.

15:02–15:12

EGU23-15796

On-site presentation

The world’s best initiatives raising awareness on climate change: the CMCC Climate Change Communication Award “Rebecca Ballestra”

Mauro Buonocore, Alessandra Mazzai, Selvaggia Santin, and Ottavia Carlon

Climate change is one of the most prominent challenges of our times. A pervasive topic that actively involves countless actors around the world, conditioning every sector of society. More and more initiatives worldwide are devoted to spreading awareness on climate change and engaging the public to bring the change we need.

In this context, the CMCC Climate Change Communication Award “Rebecca Ballestra” showcases and promotes innovative projects and initiatives that deliver engaging messages and communicate climate change in education, advocacy, media production and social engagement activities through different forms of communication such as art, theatre, video making, music, photography, journalism, gaming, education, data visualization, and the use of digital channels and tools.

Through this initiative, the CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change is building an innovative and continuously growing global platform (www.cmccaward.eu) that collects and rewards the best climate communication projects worldwide, and connects their authors in a network that fosters collaborations, offers opportunities and opens a space of discussion for climate change communication experts.

Now at its second edition, the CMCC Award honours the memory of the artist Rebecca Ballestra, who was committed to shaping a sustainable future and promoting positive transformation processes in the fields of science, humanities, economy, ecology and art and collaborated with the CMCC in various cultural initiatives.

The CMCC Award focuses on projects that:

increase public awareness on climate change and its interactions with society, the economy, the environment, and policy-making processes;
disseminate science-based information and data related to climate change through the application of innovative ideas, technologies and methodologies in the field of media, journalism, and communication at large;
communicate the threats and opportunities posed by the climate change challenge using multiple languages and innovative mediums, including journalism, art, videos and music;
trigger action in the audiences addressed, including students, consumers, businesses and politicians.

The biennial initiative is developed through:

a Call for Proposals to collect the best ongoing climate communication projects from all over the world. Over 100 projects were admitted from the 1st call for proposals. The 2nd call for proposals was launched in November 2022 at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and will close in June 2023;
a series of online and in-person events in which international experts in the field of climate change communication debate with scientists on the best strategies, initiatives and solutions to build a stronger awareness on the climate crisis;
the evaluation of the admitted projects by an international Jury of outstanding experts;
the final event hosting the Award Ceremony, climax of the initiative, during which the winners and other selected projects have the opportunity to present their work;

a series of interviews, articles and podcasts on the CMCC magazine climateforesight.eu in collaboration with the authors of the best projects.

How to cite: Buonocore, M., Mazzai, A., Santin, S., and Carlon, O.: The world’s best initiatives raising awareness on climate change: the CMCC Climate Change Communication Award “Rebecca Ballestra”, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15796, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15796, 2023.

15:12–15:22

EGU23-16109

On-site presentation

Purls of Wisdom: crafting to raise awareness of the role of geoscience in climate change

Elspeth Sinclair and Sandra King

Purls of Wisdom is a programme that utilises crafting to raise awareness of Earth’s changing climate. Specifically, the programme frames climate change as a local issue and aims to make this important topic accessible to people of all ages. Purls of Wisdom tackles these issues through fibre crafting as fibre crafting often utilises locally sourced fibres (e.g. wool from local sheep) and can be sustainably dyed (e.g. dyes from local plants). The Purls of Wisdom event took place in August 2022. The event was co-created through a partnership between the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) and local community leaders and fibre crafters in a small rural village in County Galway, Ireland. For the event, researchers from institutions across Ireland travelled to rural Galway for a day of crafting and climate conversations. The key aim of the event was to facilitate organic conversations between the participants and the researchers. By creating a safe, non-judgemental space at the crafting tables, participants and researchers were able to have conversations about climate change research and how participants could make a difference in their local environment, and the researchers and participants could work together to co-create crafts that reflected these discussions. Together, the participants and researchers created hand woven fabric that showed the Irish climate stripes, a series of needle felted squares that depicted everything from Ireland in the past to geothermal energy and a collaborative wall hanging that displayed Galway’s climate change over the past 80 years.

Evaluation data from the event suggests that participants’ knowledge about the science of climate change has increased, and they feel that geoscience has an important role in combatting climate change and in their everyday lives. Selected quotes include: “(Purls of Wisdom) opened my eyes, I’m interested to learn more about geoscience.” “Most definitely geoscience has a huge role to play in climate change going forward.” “Soil is more important than I thought.” and “I believe it is very helpful to incorporate the science and everyday life, including crafts, in presentations re-climate change so as to engage more people in the discussion of this topic.”

The Purls of Wisdom event specifically targeted retirees as retirees have a huge desire to take part in climate initiatives, but initiatives for their age groups are lacking. In creating the event with community leaders (of retirement age), we ensured the event was suitable for them. Furthermore, some participants brought along their children and grandchildren which encouraged cross-generational learning. 22 local people attended the pilot event.

Purls of Wisdom has been funded through the EGU Outreach Grant, 2020 and we hope to showcase some of the climate crafts created at EGU 2023.

How to cite: Sinclair, E. and King, S.: Purls of Wisdom: crafting to raise awareness of the role of geoscience in climate change, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-16109, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-16109, 2023.

Posters on site: Mon, 24 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | Hall X2

The posters scheduled for on-site presentation are only visible in the poster hall in Vienna. If authors uploaded their presentation files, these files are linked from the abstracts below, but only on the day of the poster session.

Chairpersons: Kelly Stanford, Michael Lazar

X2.1

EGU23-5945

ECS

Highlight

On-site presentation

TEMPLINK: a project of modeling soil temperature explained using comic strips and fiber-art

Șerban Raul-David and Șerban Mihaela

TEMPLINK stands for “Modelling ground surface TEMPerature LINKed to remote sensing land surface temperature in mountain environments”, a Marie-Curie Seal of Excellence project (https://www.eurac.edu/en/institutes-centers/institute-for-alpine-environment/projects/templink). The TEMPLINK project aims to develop a model to predict the soil subsurface temperature from satellite thermal images based on numerical modeling. Improving the monitoring of soil subsurface temperature is important for multiple geosciences and agricultural applications, being essential for understanding the climate change impacts on various environments. The model will be generated in the Mazia Valley, North-eastern Italian Alps, part of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network.

For explaining the project main idea and workflow to kids and youth, a cartoon booklet was prepared. The comic strips are available on Academia online: https://www.academia.bz.it/strips/the-story-of-the-ground-surface-temperature. They can also be distributed during science fairs and dedicated activities with schools such as orientation weeks, school visits, GIS (Geographical Information Systems) Days, or Research Open Days. To reach a broader audience was created a fiber-art object representing a 3D model of the Mazia Valley, a typical glaciated alpine valley. Every landcover type of this valley is represented with a different string color and texture. Because the project uses remote sensing data a satellite was made from rope and hang above the 3D model. The fiber-art object is accompanied by a flyer that better explains this blend of science and art. The fiber-art object aims to advertise science through art and can be displayed in art galleries, tourist info centers, or during workshops and conferences. All these outreach materials help to disseminate the TEMPLINK project to a wide audience of different backgrounds, ages, and interests.

How to cite: Raul-David, Ș. and Mihaela, Ș.: TEMPLINK: a project of modeling soil temperature explained using comic strips and fiber-art, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-5945, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-5945, 2023.

X2.2

EGU23-7280

Highlight

On-site presentation

From science to stories: different ways to engage new audiences

Carol Cotterill, Maryalice Yakutchik, Laura Guertin, Marlo Garnsworthy, Expedition 392 scientists, and South Atlantic Transect IODP Expedition 390 and 393 scientists

Through poetry, quilting, illustration and a range of other media, we are reaching out to new audiences, showing scientific ocean drilling research in highly relatable and increasingly visual ways. There is mounting evidence that science-art collaborations provide a more emotional and human lens that allows for both a clearer view and deeper understanding of even the most dense and technical research – one that sidesteps off-putting jargon and ultimately reveals scientific methods and discoveries as inspiration in addition to information.

Through a series of case studies, we aim to show the range of ways that the U.S Science Support Program is using this art-science interface to create outputs from the JOIDES Resolution expeditions, part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). From 3.9.2. Haiku to storytelling through quilting; watercolor illustrations in books to photo journalism using video and photography, we are exploring how art can help us tell stories. Stories about cores of mud and rocks that engage with audiences in an altogether different way from the typical method of scientific journals and presentations. In this paper we present some observations from the case studies, and ways we are moving forwards.

How to cite: Cotterill, C., Yakutchik, M., Guertin, L., Garnsworthy, M., 392 scientists, E., and 390 and 393 scientists, S. A. T. I. E.: From science to stories: different ways to engage new audiences, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7280, 2023.

X2.3

EGU23-7514

ECS

Highlight

On-site presentation

What can we see by illuminating the ambient deep sea?

Tian Wu, Yu Ren, Sibiao Liu, Chuanzhi Li, Pengfei Yao, and Xin Hu

Geoscientists usually use visuals like graphs and tables to explain their research to their peers or to non-specialists. However, it has been challenging to visualize how our Earth system works hidden behind complex geoscientific data effectively and intuitively to the general public. Art, as a universal language, has seen tremendous growth in the application of scientific data visualization in the last decade. Science-art collaborations become increasingly vital in creating new ways of popularizing geoscience. Here we present our recent immersive science-art interactive work titled 19 HZ, which explores the tectonic evolution and shaping of the deep sea through the visualization of submarine seismic data. The deep oceans were assumed to be quite silent. However, as more and more submarine monitoring experiments have been carried out, a hidden soundtrack under the sea was revealed, composed by marine animals like fish and mammals, and a number of natural phenomenons like submarine earthquakes and volcano activities, as well as human activities like ship-tracks. Our team (Deep Sea Light, DSL) has been working on the auralization and visualization of submarine seismic data, which offers a great opportunity to explore the dynamic world of deep oceans. Using seismic stations, we have successfully detected the activities of earthquakes, volcano eruption, and even fin whale songs. We further use the Audio Spectrum and the Touch Designer to visualize enormous soundtracks under the sea in 3D perspective and present different scenarios physically to the audience through artistic interactive devices. Under the lens of the ocean soundscape, our project will make the ambient deep-sea world more accessible to the public and convey to them how humans should listen to and understand the submarine world reverently.

How to cite: Wu, T., Ren, Y., Liu, S., Li, C., Yao, P., and Hu, X.: What can we see by illuminating the ambient deep sea?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7514, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7514, 2023.

X2.4

EGU23-10307

On-site presentation

Science Communication: Deeper engagement with industry and government stakeholders through documentary film, art, and graphical newsletters

(withdrawn)

Chelsie Hall and David Risk

X2.5

EGU23-13195

On-site presentation

Living with water: Lost or Forgotten Rivers and Waterbodies in Manila and London

Bruce D. Malamud, Richard L. Ybañez, and Paola Jayme Romaguera

Many urban regions include lost or forgotten rivers, particularly with city growth and rivers becoming buried beneath the streets. Here, as part of the research grant "Multi-hazards & resilience in hyper-expanding cities: Learning from each other how to build more resilient Hanoi and Manila cities" we compile many existing resources, including historical and current artwork (paintings, sculptures, photographs), books, literature, and museum exhibits, that explore these lost or forgotten rivers. We do this for London (31 resources) and Manila (23 resources) and present them in two virtual walls (Padlet). These resources offer glimpses into the past and current ‘lost’ rivers, artist representations of living with the water and floods, and the regeneration of these river and water bodies by community groups.

How to cite: Malamud, B. D., Ybañez, R. L., and Romaguera, P. J.: Living with water: Lost or Forgotten Rivers and Waterbodies in Manila and London, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13195, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13195, 2023.

X2.6

EGU23-13810

Highlight

On-site presentation

Nina and Berry: Using science research and art to deepen children’s and public understanding of our oceans and marine organisms

Giuliana Panieri and Jane Zimmermann

X2.7

EGU23-14101

On-site presentation

Kickstarting scientific engagement with art: An EGU-situ experiment

Lucia Perez Diaz and Fabio Crameri

Science, at its core, is about making sense of the world around us. So it is somewhat ironic that, more often than not, scientific results are presented in ways that leave specialist audiences baffled, and cause the general public to run in the opposite direction. This is worrying because scientific progress relies on effective scientific communication and knowledge exchange.

In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of examples illustrating how art (or at least a more creative approach) can help us, scientists, overcome some of the barriers between our science and the outside world. These range from contributions highlighting the “how and why” of creating scientifically accurate and universally accessible graphics (e.g. Crameri et al., 2022s-ink, colormaps?), to projects where scientific content is simply the inspiration behind abstract illustration (e.g. Wadsworth et al., Nat. Geosci. 15). The first puts the focus on the information being presented, whilst the second is aimed more strongly at catching the audience’s attention, as the first critical step in engaging with potential readers for a science piece. Whilst they are fundamentally different, both of these extremes (and all the possible art-science crossovers in between) show us the huge power of visual storytelling for science communication.

In this contribution, we will experiment withshare a series of interesting geoscientific data visualisations accompanied by short explanations created by a scientist and, illustrateding by an artistinteresting geoscientific facts. Our aim was to create pieces that, through their artistic quality, can originate a spark of curiosity in the viewer strong enough to prompt them to pay closer attention for the length of time required for them to interiorise the scientifically accurates information being presented. We will collect direct feedback from engaging viewers (in this case EGU GA participants). In doing this, we hope to show, and understand better, the ability of art to kickstart that critical two-step process, where curiosity leads to engagement, which is fundamental for effective communication. And, to generate beautiful office wall decorations in the process.

Crameri, F., G.E. Shephard, and E.O. Straume (2022, Pre-print), Effective high-quality science graphics from s-Ink.org, EarthArXiv, https://doi.org/10.31223/X51P78

Wadsworth, F.B., Vasseur, J., Anagnostopoulos, I. et al. Estimating pi using geoscience. Nat. Geosci. 15, 246–247 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00928-z

How to cite: Perez Diaz, L. and Crameri, F.: Kickstarting scientific engagement with art: An EGU-situ experiment, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14101, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14101, 2023.

X2.8

EGU23-14193

ECS

On-site presentation

The Lost Art - Detailed geological outcrop mapping using watercolour sketches

Phoebe Sleath, Rob Butler, and Clare Bond

Field sketches are a fundamental tool for geoscientists in both research and learning. Field sketches are a helpful tool for expanding understanding and data sharing. When on fieldwork researchers and students find that perspective, weather, and lighting can all distort the view - highlighting features differently, changing colours and shapes to both highlight and conceal features of interest. Before photography was main-stream field sketching and indeed in-field watercolours were the norm for all field researchers. Sketching made observers look more carefully as well as better communicate their findings to others. Geologists in the 1880s were armed not only with hammer and notebook, but a watercolour palette to capture their field observations.

Here we present a simple interdisciplinary workflow for using sketching and watercolour in addition to digital photography, to capture field observations and to spatially locate data collected. Watercolour paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution, this means they are activated by water and dry quickly allowing fast composition. The paints are widely available as pencils, tubes, and solid pans at a range of different qualities and colours, which can be mixed and matched to mirror the colours of rock types. Watercolours layer well with pencil and pen for note taking and large sketchbooks can be filled easily with washes of colour that capture the essence of outcrops and landscapes.

This combined methodology of sketching and watercolour with digital photography and ultimately the creation of a virtual outcrop model was used to study fault linkage in a multilayer of sandstones and siltstones at Calafuria, Italy over 5 days. The watercolour sketches produced are clear and legible panoramas of the outcrop with geological data and measurements geospatially annotated onto the outcrop sketch. Simple lines and colours have been used to emphasise important details, and although the sketches are not to scale, they are easily matched with the digital photographs and virtual outcrop away from the field.

The sketches work to make the complexities of the outcrop more legible, enabling dialogue between researchers and adding to the resource of field data available for interpretation. Field photographs are affected by perspectives and lighting, and the quality of a virtual outcrop created from digital imagery is dependent on these factors as well as their subsequent processing. What we can see easily when we sketch as the light changes can be obscured permanently by a shadow in a digital photograph. Photogrammetry may add precision in measurements, but not necessarily the accuracy of interpretations. Perhaps most importantly when we observe and sketch, we concentrate on capturing details with geological importance and promote interpretation decisions such as the continuity of a fault that a camera does not pay attention to. We find the combined approach outlined illuminates the geology to create a much richer dataset than a photorealistic virtual outcrop alone.

How to cite: Sleath, P., Butler, R., and Bond, C.: The Lost Art - Detailed geological outcrop mapping using watercolour sketches, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14193, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14193, 2023.