Exhibition
"WATER:TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE?" will focus on how people across the globe face new challenges in managing water in the coming decades. The exhibit will run from August 24, 2009 until January 18, 2010 at Liberty Science Center, across from the Statue of Liberty in Jersey City, New Jersey. It will be visited by approximately 400,000 children, and their parents and teachers.
Two major issues potentially threatening the well-being of billions of people will be the focus of the exhibition:
Too Much Water – Communities and major metropolitan areas must manage excessive sea water from storm surges and sea level rise due to global climate change as well as river flooding.
Too Little Water – The demand for clean fresh water in some communities exceeds the supply. Fresh water is used in agriculture, human consumption, business and environmental conservation.
"WATER: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE?" will look at these issues and the new solutions and technologies that are being used to solve these problems.
The exhibition Managing Water in the 21st Century will divide the 2,500-square- foot Breakthroughs space into the following zones and exhibition experiences:
Zone 1: Introduction
This zone introduces the theme of the exhibition with a large graphic and a sculptural display that represents the relative amounts of Earth's ocean water versus available fresh water for human consumption, the latter being less than 1% of Earth's total water reserves while the former is 98%.
Zone 2: Water Rising Challenges
The gallery's landmark exhibit is a large interactive model of a coastal city that experiences flooding from storm surges, mirroring the effect that could occur for such events as an hurricane impacting the NJ/NYC area. Visitors will simulate the effects of big storms by releasing “fluid” materials that flood the landscape. Storm surge barriers, based on the Hollandse IJsell and Maeslant barriers in the Netherlands, are then manipulated by visitors to control the floods. Graphic panels interpret the effects of sea level rise and the overdue hurricane we should be preparing for in the New York / New Jersey region. Animations from Google Earth may show images of flooding at selected global sites (major coastal cites and coastlines) for different magnitudes of storms and scenarios of sea level rise. Additionally the issue of river flooding – a major issue annually in the United States (including NJ) and elsewhere—will be covered. We will indicate the areas that experience perennial flooding.
Zone 3: Fresh Water Distribution and Consumption
A display of water bottles indicates the actual relative quantities of fresh water used daily by Americans, Japanese, Germans, the Dutch, Ethiopians and Mozambicans. Daily per capita volumes range from 157 gallons to 1 gallon, dramatically demonstrating the “water poverty” seen in some regions. Graphic panels interpret differences in global domestic, agricultural and industrial fresh water consumption and the problems faced in different regions. A budgeting water activity shows the volumes of water used in different domestic activities like bathing and flushing toilets. Higher level concepts like global water treatment and sanitation are interpreted graphically. A Q-drum and other artifacts demonstrate how various peoples manage their access to clean fresh water, underscoring the problems faced by different global regions.
Too Much Water – Communities and major metropolitan areas must manage excessive sea water from storm surges and sea level rise due to global climate change as well as river flooding.
Too Little Water – The demand for clean fresh water in some communities exceeds the supply. Fresh water is used in agriculture, human consumption, business and environmental conservation.
"WATER: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE?" will look at these issues and the new solutions and technologies that are being used to solve these problems.
The exhibition Managing Water in the 21st Century will divide the 2,500-square- foot Breakthroughs space into the following zones and exhibition experiences:
Zone 1: Introduction
This zone introduces the theme of the exhibition with a large graphic and a sculptural display that represents the relative amounts of Earth's ocean water versus available fresh water for human consumption, the latter being less than 1% of Earth's total water reserves while the former is 98%.
Zone 2: Water Rising Challenges
The gallery's landmark exhibit is a large interactive model of a coastal city that experiences flooding from storm surges, mirroring the effect that could occur for such events as an hurricane impacting the NJ/NYC area. Visitors will simulate the effects of big storms by releasing “fluid” materials that flood the landscape. Storm surge barriers, based on the Hollandse IJsell and Maeslant barriers in the Netherlands, are then manipulated by visitors to control the floods. Graphic panels interpret the effects of sea level rise and the overdue hurricane we should be preparing for in the New York / New Jersey region. Animations from Google Earth may show images of flooding at selected global sites (major coastal cites and coastlines) for different magnitudes of storms and scenarios of sea level rise. Additionally the issue of river flooding – a major issue annually in the United States (including NJ) and elsewhere—will be covered. We will indicate the areas that experience perennial flooding.
Zone 3: Fresh Water Distribution and Consumption
A display of water bottles indicates the actual relative quantities of fresh water used daily by Americans, Japanese, Germans, the Dutch, Ethiopians and Mozambicans. Daily per capita volumes range from 157 gallons to 1 gallon, dramatically demonstrating the “water poverty” seen in some regions. Graphic panels interpret differences in global domestic, agricultural and industrial fresh water consumption and the problems faced in different regions. A budgeting water activity shows the volumes of water used in different domestic activities like bathing and flushing toilets. Higher level concepts like global water treatment and sanitation are interpreted graphically. A Q-drum and other artifacts demonstrate how various peoples manage their access to clean fresh water, underscoring the problems faced by different global regions.
