Smithsonian Show Reveals Secrets of the Sea
"Going to Sea" Is Debut Exhibit in Sant Ocean Hall, Washington, D.C.
Apr 9, 2009
That's the name of the new Ocean Initiative exhibit at the Smithsonian satellite museum. The revelations range from close-up glimpses of exotic creatures and plant life that flourish in the rich nutrients of the ocean to an animated globe that shows and tells earth's violent history – 4.5 billion years of geologic evolution in 25 minutes – as though the viewer is at the right hand of God, watching a miracle happen. It’s a panorama of earth-altering geologic events in fast forward.
This magic happens in the globe room, where observers watch "Science on a Sphere." On a room-sized, 360-degree spinning orb, the earth's surface of fiery red magma at the genesis, morphs into the green and blue planet of today. Earth-splitting volcanoes and quakes, meteor storms, tectonic plate shifts, extreme temperature changes and pelting wind and rain clash on the digitally-controlled sphere in the center of a theater in the round. Colossal events come and go, in the blink of an eye.
"Going to Sea" Is Museum's First Collaboration with NOAA
The 23,000 square-foot ocean presentation is the debut event in the Ocean Hall's temporary gallery and represents the largest renovation of the National Museum of Natural History since it opened in 1910. The show opened last fall and is the museum's first collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Through the blending of 674 marine specimens and models, HD video imagery, unique exhibits and state of the art technology, the planners intend for visitors to explore the ocean's past, present and future, in a way never before done.
Sant Hall Ocean Exhibit Highlights
- A 45-foot long model of a North Atlantic right whale suspended from the atrium ceiling in the "Open Ocean Section." The airborne model represents an actual right whale named "Phoenix" that is the "ambassador" of the special exhibit. Scientists have traced the real Phoenix throughout her life in the North Atlantic and have gained a great deal of knowledge about her species. This intimacy makes her perfect as the nexus with an adjoining exhibit that explains the evolution of whales from land ancestors, including their amazing simpatico with humans.
- A coral reef section displayed in a 1,500-gallon aquarium features an Indo-Pacific reef with more than 1,000 specimens. They comprise over 50 species of live fish and other aquatic life. Exotic fish gliding about the coral beckon visitors like splashes of neon.
- A "Journey-in-Time" section displays fossils more than 500 million years old. In many cases, they are ancient organisms.
- In the theater, visitors become aquanauts while watching a 13-minute video called "Deep Ocean Explorers." In the darkness of the ocean depths, they dive through the zones of the open ocean, to the deep and murky ocean floor aboard the mini-sub, Alvin.
- The specimen of a 24-foot female giant squid floats in 1,800 gallons of a special clear liquid, developed by 3M Company. The giant squid is among the most mysterious creatures in the ocean, and the exhibit displays two of them.
- A jaw of a fossilized 7-foot tall prehistoric great white shark makes the monster in the movie Jaws a guppy. Well, almost.
Exhibit Tells How Important the Oceans Are
Although the presentation is eye-catching and educational, a dire message underlies the high-powered show. It is that humans must form an alliance with the ocean to survive; however, such a partnership is threatened by a seeming disregard by the human race for the ocean's health. The "Living on an Ocean Planet" gallery drives home this point, by inspiring visitors to make the connection between the ocean and their daily sustenance.
Displays further reinforce the oft-forgotten idea that earth is an ocean planet, the only one in the Solar System; and the only one capable of sustaining surface water, in a liquid state. The ocean covers 71 percent of the earth's physical surface and 95 percent of its livable surface. Any significant change in its ecosystem could produce catastrophic effects on the land mass. (In the beginning, the land mass was joined. Over time, it broke up and separated.)
The Sant Ocean Hall Exhibit is a rare combination of science and show. The critical message of the "Going to Sea" tour is that the ocean is 20 times larger than the habitable land portions of the earth. As such, for the health and prosperity of human kind, it must be nurtured. By protecting its plant life and denizens, the future of life on earth for humans becomes more promising . But time is of the essence!
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