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Art and science are teaming up to demystify ocean acidification — a serious threat to marine life and a complex puzzle for both research and public outreach — in the fourth exhibit of “The Art of Marine Science” created through a partnership by Mote Marine Laboratory and Ringling College of Art and Design.
The exhibit, the second in this series to highlight ocean acidification, will run from Wednesday, April 17 through Tuesday, April 23 in The Aquarium at Mote and will feature new educational artworks created by Ringling students during a Mote-led course. (Exhibit details for the public below.)
Ocean acidification, sometimes nicknamed the “osteoporosis of the sea,” occurs when seawater becomes more acidic than before — a chemistry change in which its pH gets lower — because the water absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from manmade sources such as fossil fuels. More acidic water can dissolve or weaken the skeletons of coral reefs, the shells of many shellfish and other calcium-rich substances vital to marine life. Research shows that ocean water is more acidic now than in pre-industrial times. If carbon dioxide emissions continue along their current trends, the oceans could become more acidic than they have been in millions of years.
“Ocean acidification is a worldwide threat to marine ecosystems and a huge focus for the marine research community, but it can be difficult raise public awareness about this problem because its works in subtle ways; the oceans are not getting so acidic that they’ll irritate your skin, but relatively small changes in ocean chemistry can severely threaten corals and potentially many kinds of marine life,” said Dr. Emily Hall, manager of Mote’s Ocean Acidification Program.
“We highlighted this issue for the public in 2012 when we unveiled our first ocean acidification artworks by Ringling students, and they astounded us with their fresh takes on this complex topic,” Hall said. “Students came up with everything from an educational campaign to an original video game and even candy packaged to raise awareness. We can’t wait to see the results from our next class.”
This will be the fourth exhibit of The Art of Marine Science created by Ringling students guided by a Mote scientist teaching the “Ecology of Water” course at Ringling. Mote is dedicated to educating the public about the oceans and our own world-class marine research through informal science education.
The new ocean acidification exhibit will feature seven projects created by 19 students working in small groups. Artworks will include books and comic books, videos, board games and more.
Projects will be reviewed by a panel of judges from the community and the winning project will be announced during an invitation-only awards reception on Friday evening, April 19. Projects will be displayed through April 23 in The Aquarium at Mote and the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite. The winning projects in Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice will be displayed for a year or longer at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center on Key West, where Mote hosts a special exhibit called “The Living Reef.”
Mote leads cutting-edge research on ocean acidification and coral reefs in the Florida Keys at its Tropical Research Laboratory on Summerland Key. The Ocean Acidification Program studies how ecologically important species like corals respond to projected levels of ocean acidification. The Program is currently testing methods for using a unique seawater system at the Tropical Research Laboratory to study how corals and other reef species will react to changes in pH level (acidity).
This research and the new Art of Marine Science exhibit are supported by the Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate, which is administered by Mote. Sales of this Florida plate support coral reef research, education, conservation and restoration focused on Florida’s reef system. Learn more and purchase your plate at www.reefplate.com.
For the Public
- Limited-Time Exhibit: The Art of Marine Science featuring ocean acidification — a worldwide threat to coral reefs and many other forms of marine life
- When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily from April 17-23
- Where: The Aquarium at Mote, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota (exhibit located near the Deep Sea Diner)
- More information: Exhibit is included with admission to The Aquarium. For admission costs and other visitor information, visit www.mote.org and scroll over “Aquarium.”
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