Two new products, which are intended to raise awareness about the impact of climate change in the Southern Ocean and coastal cities such as Punta Arenas (Chile), were exhibited at the Youth and Civil Society Forum at a recent environmental summit.
Dr. Humberto González, director of the institution and coordinator of the “Cryosphere-Antarctica” COPS25 scientific committee table.
Andrea Navarro, IDEAL Center. Why is Antarctica considered the thermometer that measures the temperature of the planet? How is climate change affecting the Southern Ocean? What are the best tools to democratize scientific knowledge? What concrete measures can citizens take to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases? What role can governments play in supporting the protection of the oceans?
Those were some of the issues discussed during the panel “Chilean Research in Antarctica: contributions to confront climate change and technologies to disseminate science,” held at the Youth and Civil Society Forum at COP25, the world’s largest environmental summit, taking place through December 12 in Madrid (Spain).
This activity was organized by the Research Center – Dynamics of High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL) of the Austral University of Chile (UACh) and featured presentations by Dr. Humberto González, director of the institution and coordinator of the “Cryosphere-Antarctica” COPS25 scientific committee table, along with Dr. José Luis Iriarte, researcher and staff member from the Chilean Institute of Aquaculture.
“We had a space for discussion about the care and protection of the environment through the role played by some marine species in the mitigation of carbon dioxide and its absorption by the oceans,” said Dr. Gonzalez.
“Young people from several countries expressed concerns about the role of government in confronting the effects of climate change in high-latitude oceans. For this, we were able to tell the experience of how our research can help improve the understanding of marine ecosystems,” reported researcher Dr. Iriarte.
Video recording from a 360º camera inserted in virtual reality viewers that simulates an increase in sea level near the city of Punta Arenas, capital of the Chilean Magallanes and Antarctica region
Technologies for disseminating science
At the end of the presentations, the researchers unveiled two new technological products from the IDEAL Center that are designed to raise awareness about the impact of climate change in the Southern Ocean and coastal cities of the sub-Antarctic region.
The first of these was a video recording from a 360º camera inserted in virtual reality viewers that simulates an increase in sea level near the city of Punta Arenas, capital of the Chilean Magallanes and Antarctica region, and considered one of the thresholds for access to the White Continent. The latest special report concerning the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), indicates that by the year 2100, the Earth could experience a sea level increase of between about 60 to 110 centimeters.
The second item was a hologram that displayed data about global warming that is affecting one of the world’s most pristine regions: Antarctica. Both products are available in both Spanish and English versions and will be exhibited in Chile during the year 2020.