Die Ozeanversauerung macht die Meere saurer, da sie atmosphärisches CO2 aufnehmen - eine Bedrohung für das Meeresleben an felsigen Riffen. Forscher der Stanford University haben ein virtuelles Unterwasser-Ökosystem für den PC entwickelt, um diese Veränderungen hautnah zu zeigen. Spieler beobachten, wie CO2-Moleküle ins Meer gelangen, Riffe zerfallen und Meeresbewohner verschwinden - genau passend zu Prognosen für Ende des Jahrhunderts bei anhaltenden Emissionen.
Diese Bildungserfahrung basiert auf marinen Wissenschaftsstudien und stellt jede Phase der Versauerung dar. Sie lässt Beobachter echte Forschungsergebnisse erleben und Ökosystem-Veränderungen hautnah miterleben. Lernende und Umweltschützer erhalten klare Einblicke in Auswirkungen, die sonst schwer vorstellbar sind.
Most people have never heard of ocean acidification—the process by which the ocean becomes more acidic as it absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) that has been emitted into the atmosphere. Visualizing the impact to marine life is challenging. As a solution, Stanford researchers have produced a virtual underwater ecosystem to allow you to observe firsthand what rocky reefs are expected to look like by the end of the century if we do not curb our CO2 emissions.
With funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford researchers have designed an educational experience that makes the impossible possible: watch the ocean absorb invisible CO2 molecules, a rocky reef degrade and marine life disappear as the ocean acidifies. Each step in the journey is based on marine science research.
For more information about ocean acidification and learning in Virtual Reality, here are some additional resources:
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS AND ECOSYSTEM SIMPLIFICATION IN A HIGH-CO2 OCEAN: http://www.pnas.org/content/110/31/12721.full.pdf
THE USE OF IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY IN THE LEARNING SCIENCES - DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT: http://vhil.stanford.edu/mm/2008/bailenson-IVE-learning.pdf
EXPERIENCING NATURE - EMBODYING ANIMALS IN IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS INCREASES INCLUSION OF NATURE IN SELF AND INVOLVEMENT WITH NATURE: http://vhil.stanford.edu/mm/2016/08/ahn-jcmc-experiencing-nature.pdf
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ASSOCIATION (NOAA) INFORMATION: http://pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Ocean+Acidification
