Pro Sessions:
Envisioning Global Change: Seeing the Facts
How do scientists discern the impact of human action on the natural rhythm of our dynamic biosphere and climate system?
Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History’s Science Bulletins program use data from satellites to generate HD visualizations. Harnessing the advanced graphics and processing power of the Mac, they render 3D animations from their scientific observations to bring the evidence of global change directly to the general public.
Join geographer Ned Gardiner and animator Arlene Ducao of the American Museum of Natural History’s Science Bulletins program as they present riveting HD visualizations of global change.
Presenters:
Ned Gardiner, Ph.D.
Ned is a Senior Geographic and Ecosystems Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History. He uses remote sensing and mapping technologies to teach general audiences about global change. His research in landscape ecology employs digital information about the Earth to study the effects human beings have on ecosystems.
Arlene Ducao
Arlene is a production designer and 3D animator for the Science Bulletins program at the American Museum of Natural History. Her work has been presented at venues and festivals around the world, including the Margaret Mead Festival (New York), Lola Screen (Kenya), and Korte Digitale Film Festival (Netherlands).
Seeing global change:
This image shows ozone concentration over Antarctica in October of 1980 and in 2006. Since climatologists first documented the ozone hole in 1985, it has come to epitomize unintended human effects on Earth’s physical system. The ozone story underscores the important role satellite observations play in helping us understand dynamic changes in Earth’s atmosphere.
Over the past several decades, satellite data have revealed the gradual shrinkage of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean. This image shows the extent of ice in September, 1979 (yellow line), compared to its extent in September, 2005. This is a reduction of more than 20 percent.
Urban sprawl is the most visible evidence of human impact on Earth’s surface. Sprawl transforms habitat, alters water quality and quantity, and heats the land and atmosphere as pavement replaces less heat-absorbing surfaces. The satellite record, including composite images of city lights such as the one shown above, clearly demonstrates the pace and extent of urban sprawl on a planetary scale.
