Our climate is changing rapidly. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels and the loss of biodiversity are just some of the consequences. In order to better understand these complex interrelationships, our climate exhibits offer you the opportunity to explore complex scientific topics in a fun and interactive way.
Interactive stations: Explore the effects of climate change on our environment.
Exciting experiments: Carry out experiments and understand complex relationships
What is behind the term greenhouse effect? What role does carbon dioxide (CO2) play? What alternatives are there? By analysing the topic of climate, we understand the connections and consequences and can help to shape a more sustainable future. Everyone can make a contribution to climate protection and become an active part of the solution.
Come along and discover our exhibits!
Greenhouse effect.
How does the greenhouse effect caused by CO2 work? The effect of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be researched at our exhibit.
The globe is illuminated and heats up in the process. It emits this heat back into the air as thermal radiation. Greenhouse gases such asCO2 absorb this heat radiation, which means that some of the heat remains in the atmosphere.
There is a measuring device on our exhibit that you can use to measure how much of the Earth's heat radiation is absorbed by CO2.
Did you know that it takes a certain amount ofCO2, around 280 ppm*, to keep our planet warm? However, we now have too much of it in the atmosphere, so it is getting warmer and warmer.
*PPM stands for partspermillion. It is a unit of measurement used to indicate very small concentrations or proportions of one substance in another.
How much is a million?
One million timesCO2 - a major challenge
There are millions of tiny particles in the air around us - including carbon dioxide. But how muchCO2 is there? And how much more has it become? Large numbers are sometimes difficult to grasp.
The exhibit. "How much is a million" is a great exhibit to sharpen your understanding of large numbers. And it is precisely this understanding that is essential when it comes to grasping complex climate data such as CO2 concentrations.
Visualisation of abstract numbers: Just as a million beads make an abstract number tangible, charts and graphs can visualise the development of CO2 concentrations over time. An increase of 100 ppm (parts per million)ofCO2 may sound small at first, but if you visualise it as a certain number of pellets, the change becomes clearer.
Understanding ratios: The exhibit shows how small proportions affect a large whole. The same applies to CO2 in the atmosphere. Although the proportion of CO2 in the air is relatively small, it has a major influence on the climate.
Scaling: By experimenting with different quantities of beads, you can learn how a change in a large number affects the overall picture. The situation is similar with the climate: even small changes in the CO2 concentration can have a major impact in the long term.
Absorption and reflection.
What does it feel like when you hold your head in a bowl? That depends on the surface of the bowl. Depending on the colour of the surface, more or less heat is reflected or absorbed by your face. In this experiment, you can test a silver and a black bowl. Which bowl makes your face feel warmer? You can also compare both surfaces in a long half cylinder.
Different earth surfaces are very important for our climate. Ice and snow mainly reflect solar radiation, while soil and plants, for example, absorb more solar radiation. As more and more ice and snow surfaces disappear due to global warming, more solar radiation can be absorbed by the darker surfaces below. This further intensifies global warming.
Discover the power of water!
Imagine you could propel a rocket with water! It's possible here at phaeno. By turning the crank, you produce electricity. This electricity is used to break down water into its components, hydrogen and oxygen. These gases collect in the glass tubes. When there is enough gas, you can launch the rocket.
And how does it work? Water consists of tiny particles. Each water molecule (H₂O) consists of two hydrogen atoms (H2) and one oxygen atom (O). Using electricity, we can break this bond and separate the individual atoms. The resulting gases, hydrogen and oxygen, are very light and rise upwards in the glass tubes. When we mix these gases and ignite them, a small explosion occurs that propels the rocket.
If we use hydrogen as a fuel, only water is produced during combustion. This is much better for the environment than burning coal or oil, which produce harmful exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide CO2.
Come along and try it out for yourself!
Photosynthesis.
The leaves of plants contain tiny green pigment particles, known as chlorophyll. This chlorophyll captures sunlight, almost like a small solar panel in each leaf.
In addition to sunlight, plants also need water and carbon dioxide (CO2). Something magical then happens in the leaves: the chlorophyll uses the energy of the sunlight to convert the water and carbon dioxide into two new substances: Sugar and oxygen. With the help of sugar, plants grow and form new leaves and flowers. And we humans and animals breathe in oxygen in order to live.
Can plants change the atmosphere? Yes, precisely through photosynthesis and respiration.
Without photosynthesis, there would be no oxygen on earth and therefore no life as we know it.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which helps to slow down climate change.
In our exhibit, you can see how plants produce oxygen and break down CO2 during the day through photosynthesis. In a short day-night cycle, cress is illuminated in a box. At the same time, oxygen and CO2 in the air are measured in the box. Without light, photosynthesis can no longer take place. However, the plants continue to breathe, producing CO2. As a result, the oxygen content of the air decreases and the CO2 content increases.
