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New Exhibits Open!

Published on: 12/13/2006

Learn about the seasonal changes in the Gulf of Maine and become a research scientist at the Seasons of the Sea exhibit. See how water moves through the estuary and river in the Great Bay to the Sea exhibit.

The next time you visit the Seacoast Science Center you will be treated to two new interactive exhibits. The Great Bay to the Sea exhibit will fascinate you with endless, mesmerizing and colorful ways to see how water really moves from Great Bay out to the Gulf of Maine. Moving through the stations in the Seasons of the Sea exhibition, you can make your own scientific observations from real-time data is beamed from offshore buoys to the Center via satellites.

Do you know how many tidal cycles it takes a drop of fresh water to flow from Great Bay to the Gulf of Maine? The surprising answer awaits you at the new Great Bay to the Sea exhibit. Using state-of-the-art mathematical models and computer animation you can watch your water droplet move through the estuary and river. You can also place virtual materials in the water at different locations on the map and watch how the tides affect the movement of several materials at once.

Funded by a grant from the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), the Great Bay to the Sea exhibit was developed by Center staff and a team of faculty from UNH and Dartmouth College. According to SSC Special Project Director Todd Kent "The exhibit is a new application for both the water flow research and computer model. The data is of scientific interest, of course, but also has many applications for municipalities that are trying to manage discharges and water quality. This exhibit is the first time the science and modeling have been combined for public education and fun"!

The new exhibit is located in the corner of the north gallery, looking out to the mouth of the Piscataqua. Kent concludes, "We always try to incorporate the Center's views of the Gulf of Maine in our exhibits. It is a much more powerful experience if you can look up from a simulation and see the
real thing!"

Seasons of the Sea invites you in with a fun mini-movie that teaches you about the seasonal changes in the Gulf of Maine through the eyes of children. At the My Buoy Observations station you can record live data from buoys located in the Gulf of Maine, then post your results for others to see. According to Kent, "Like Great Bay to the Sea, Seasons of the Sea is based on current research. In this case, we worked with Dr. Ru Morrison and Amy Cline of the Coastal Ocean Observing Center at UNH. Together, we devised the best way to make very serious science accessible to all our visitors.

In addition to showing people the how and the why of Dr. Morrison's fascinating research, Seasons of the Sea marks a new standard for exhibit design at the Seacoast Science Center. The innovative use of shapes, color, textures, and interactive elements are combined to draw you in, and help you learn all while having fun, of course."

The list of sponsors of the Seasons of the Sea exhibition also sets the Center's record for national and regional funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Coastal Ocean Observing Center and Atmospheric Investigation Regional Modeling, Analysis and Prediction at UNH.