World Ocean exhibition
Dimmed light and the sound of the sea will let you plunge into the ocean. More than 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Over 96 percent of the world’s water is in the oceans which are on average 3,800 metres deep – their deepest spot is the Mariana Trench with a depth of 10,994 metres.
Oceanographic maps that chart the big oceanic basins and the marginal seas will draw your attention away from our continental view of the world and open up a completely new perspective of our planet. A big rotatable globe shows the earth’s relief without water. The deep oceanic basins make North Sea and Baltic Sea look like shallow puddles. The ocean floor is rich in structures. There are mountain ranges, valleys and wide plains. That is why technically the world’s highest mountain is not Mount Everest but Mauna Kea on Hawaii rising almost 10,000 metres from base to summit while standing only 4,200 metres above sea level.
The exhibition leads you down into the endless blue of the seas. Various exhibits will give you an impression of sea and deep sea life. One of our visitors’ favourites is the model of a siphonophore. It is made of more than 2,600 single handmade pieces of fluorescent glass each hanging by a tiny thread. The model weighs around twelve kilos.
12 showcases and 19 display cabinets along the walls provide further information on marine processes and the basic physical and chemical characteristics of sea water.
