The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the importance of these ecosystems and the profound environmental transformations taking place.
We have developed an exhibition that explores the interconnections between the decline of glaciers, climate change and its consequences on ecosystems and human societies.
Take a step-by-step tour through the museum’s halls and understand how climate change affects us on a global scale: from mountains to oceans, from biodiversity to human history.
Entrance
1. This work represents the climate crisis and marks the start of the exhibition linked to the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
This artistic installation is a metaphor of the ongoing environmental changes. Some species of jellyfish are extending their habitat towards polar regions, a phenomenon made possible by global warming and the consequent melting of the glaciers.
This piece emphasises the importance of understanding and tackling challenges, not only for preservation of the glaciers, but for the overall health of the ecosystems.
Come and explore the special display in the rooms at the MUSE and the other elements linked to the International Year of the Glaciers’ Preservation.
Floor 4
2. Did you know that there are black glaciers?
Answer: By black glacier we mean a glacier more than 50% covered by rocky detritus that makes its surface dark. This phenomenon is a consequence of the deglaciation stage we are currently experiencing, accelerated by the ongoing climate changes. This process sees a reduction in the area and volume of the glacier, as well as an increase in the portions of exposed rock in the surrounding area.
Problem: Due to thermal radiation, the dark surfaces absorb more heat. The increase in detritus on the surface of the glaciers and the exposure of the surrounding rocks makes the glacier melt even faster.
3. Did you know that the metallic colouring is an adaptation to UV-ray exposure?
Answer: It has been suggested that leaf beetles that feed on the surfaces of leaves in the high mountains have darker, reflective metallic colouring. This allows them to accumulate more heat and, at the same time, to reflect part of the solar radiation.
Problem: Higher temperatures also at high altitudes may jeopardise the survival of those species who have, over time, evolved adaptations to survive at low temperatures in environments with high solar radiation.
Floor 3
4. Did you know that the mountain hare stays white even if it doesn’t snow in the winter?
Answer: Every year, the fur of the mountain hare changes colour, turning bright white as winter draws on. By adapting in this way, the animal is camouflaged against the ground and can escape its predators. This change is not caused by the presence of snow, but by a combination of less sunlight and lower temperatures. This thick winter coat (perfect for the snow, less so for rain) grows upwards from the paws and over the shoulders, giving the animal’s body a dappled effect in the spring and summer.
Problem: In winters with little snowfall, mountain hares end up white on dark ground and therefore very visible to their predators.
5. Did you know that the extinction of high mountain plants leads to the loss of valuable resources?
Answer: Plants have always been valuable resources for humans. Mountain plants are often used in medicine and cooking and they feature in many legends and traditions, from the Alps to the Himalayas.
Problem: Global warming and retreating glaciers mean that many of these plants, which have adapted to survive in extreme conditions, risk disappearing.
Floor 2
6. Did you know that warming of the Arctic Ocean could increase the concentration of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere?
Answer: Huge quantities of methane are stored in the sediments of the Arctic Ocean, trapped in the ice. With increased temperatures and melting ice, these deposits are gradually releasing the methane into the ocean waters.
Problem: Because methane has a much higher heating potential than carbon dioxide, its release may contribute to a further increase in the concentration of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change in an uncontrollable, unpredictable manner.
7. Did you know that constantly higher temperatures are making mountains in many areas increasingly more unstable and dangerous?
Answer: Images of landslides, mudslides, and avalanches are at times spectacular and show all the force of nature.
Higher temperatures are melting the glaciers and the permafrost (frozen ground) and leading to an increase in intense rainfall.
These phenomena affect the stability of the rocks, the terrain and the snow and the flow of water courses.
Problem: Greater instability of the mountains caused by climate changes increases the risk of land and rock slides and avalanches: a hazard for those who love the mountain, those who live there and those who practise any kind of activity in the mountains.
Floor 1
8. Did you know that the Neanderthals lived through various climate changes?
Answer: Our Neanderthal cousins are not only prehistoric icons, but also a symbol of adaptation to very different climates. They lived through warm periods, but developed characteristics and strategies to also survive very harsh conditions, like those of the ice age.
Problem: The story of the Neanderthals reminds us how climate changes have always affected human life and although they managed to adapt, the daily challenges for us could be even more difficult, with unexpected, global impacts.
9. Did you know that you can read the climate of the past in stalactites and stalagmites?
Answer: Stalactites and stalagmites have layers inside them that are similar to the rings inside trees. These accumulations of minerals store information about past climatic conditions on the Earth, such as temperature and humidity. By analysing them we can discover how the climate has changed over the millennia and what changes have occurred in the chemical compounds present.
Problem: From the Industrial Revolution on, we can note a greater irregularity in the climate with arid or humid periods that reflect alterations in the natural climatic cycles caused by human activity. In these formations, an anomalous increase of carbon and other pollutants is very visible.
Floor-1
10. Did you know that these rocks are evidence of an ecological catastrophe?
Answer: The formations of bands of iron are made up of the waste produced by ancient bacteria over two billion years ago. The oxygen they released recombined with the iron present in the water, which then fell back onto the seabed. In the end, the absence of free iron in the oceans changed the chemical composition of the water so much that it started a glaciation that covered almost all the planet.
Problem: The formations of bands of iron tell a fascinating story: even minute organisms like bacteria were able to rewrite the history of the Earth. Despite being almost entirely frozen over, our planet managed once again to transform and become the rich environment we know today. An unexpected link between ancient geology and present day.
11. Did you know that this mammoth tusk is proof of a change that is happening right now?
Answer: Melting of the permafrost brings to light incredible evidence of the past: frozen mammoths with their fur still intact, mummified sabre-tooth tigers, and also viruses and bacteria sealed up for thousands of years. This fascinating yet troubling exhibit shows how the past can re-emerge in surprising ways.
Problem: The viruses and bacteria that have for a long time co-existed with humans and animals have also co-evolved with them and there is therefore a lower risk of devastating contagion. But suddenly coming into contact with a virus or bacterium that has somehow travelled through time is a much more dangerous issue: are human communities ready to tackle brand new, very ancient diseases?
12. MUSE Agorà
Discover the MUSE Agora project ‘From Ice to Us’ and learn about the MUSE research effort in the Highlands.
