30 October 2021 | New Scientist | 31THESE captivating images
encapsulate the past, present
and future of the global climate.
They provide a taste of what’s
on show at Polar Zero, an art
and science exhibition
designed by artist Wayne Binitie
to complement the COP26
summit on climate change in
Glasgow, UK (see page 8).
One of the exhibition’s
highlights is a sample of ice from
the Antarctic (top centre). Known
as an ice core, these are collected
by drilling deep into the ice – and
hence back in time. They allow
scientists to study past climates
and atmospheres, for example by
examining the trapped air bubbles
that formed when snow fell on
the ice. Analysing the amount of
carbon dioxide in such bubbles
reveals its rising levels in the
atmosphere.
Top right is a close-up shot of
1765 ‘Air’, a glass sculpture that
contains an ampule of preserved
Antarctic air from 1765 – a year
sometimes said to have marked
the dawn of the industrial
revolution and a crucial turning
point when human activity began
to warm the planet.
Another of the exhibition’s
elements is Ice Stories, a mix of
images, text and other documents
drawing on the anecdotes of those
working at the poles. The image at
the far left shows a scientist in an
ice crevasse in Antarctica.
The exhibition’s centrepieces
were designed by Binitie, who can
be seen in the bottom image
filming ice bubbles.
Polar Zero – a collaboration
between the British Antarctic
Survey, the Royal College of Art in
London and engineering firm
Arup – is at the Glasgow Science
Centre until 12 November. ❚
Gege Li
Ice cool
Photographer Pete Bucktrout/
British Antarctic Survey