The complex nature of our planet calls for reimagining how we relate to the biosphere and experience Earth system science. FLUXNET is a global network of nearly 1,000 research towers that track water, carbon, and energy moving between ecosystems and the atmosphere. It gives us a continuous and precise record of the biosphere's breath, helping us understand how soils, plants, people, and climate are connected through cycles of change. But FLUXNET is more than data, it’s a community built on curiosity and reciprocity, exemplifying how science grows when people work together. In the spirit of collaboration, fluxART (https://fluxnetart.github.io) invited artists to engage with scientists, the global datasets, and the ecosystems they study. They explored climate change, drought, and fire disturbances, the renewing rhythms of landscapes, and the often-invisible processes that sustain life on Earth. Artists turned flux science into stories and embodied experiences of nature’s resilience. Scientists reimagined academic function and culture by embodying the reciprocity in the biosphere’s fluxes they study. Here we share artworks and perspectives emerging from recent year-long art-science exchanges at FLUXNET research sites.
How to cite: Bassiouni, M., Lewis, R., Oldham, J., Quetawki, M., Bouchard, S., Still, C., Litvak, M., and Gough, C.: Creative Curiosity Transforms Ecosystem Flux Science into Embodied Experiences of Nature’s Resilience , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-22113, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-22113, 2026.
szabadonbalaton (“free Balaton”) is an independent platform working at the intersection of ecology, geosciences, culture, and public engagement around Lake Balaton, Hungary. Lake Balaton is a shallow and highly sensitive freshwater system where hydrological, climatic, soil, and ecological processes are tightly linked to tourism, land use, infrastructure development, and everyday human activities. Although these dynamics are well studied scientifically, they are often difficult to communicate beyond expert circles, leading to fragmented public understanding and polarised debates around environmental issues.
szabadonbalaton addresses this gap by developing participatory art–science formats that translate scientific knowledge into shared, situated experiences. The platform brings together artists, geoscientists, ecologists, engineers, and local actors to explore the lake’s environmental processes in ways that are accessible, experiential, and open to discussion. Activities focus on topics such as nutrient cycles, algal blooms, water levels, shoreline transformation, and human impacts on the lake’s hydrological balance.
The methods used include guided field walks, collective observation, simple in situ measurements, mapping exercises, public discussions, and thematic food-based interventions that connect ecological processes to everyday practices. These formats are intentionally low-threshold and adaptable, allowing engagement in diverse contexts and with varied audiences. Events were organised in unconventional settings ranging from running races and beaches to cultural venues and fine dining restaurants, reaching people who would not normally participate in environmental or scientific programmes.
Between 2022 and 2023, szabadonbalaton curated the Balatorium ecological–cultural programme series within the framework of the Veszprém–Balaton European Capital of Culture 2023. More than 60 artists and researchers, together with 10 institutions, contributed to the activities, which culminated in a week-long art–science beach festival. Across all events, thousands of visitors participated, creating a broad and heterogeneous audience for discussions on the lake’s ecological condition and future.
Artistic methods are not used as illustrations of scientific results, but as tools for inquiry, mediation, and communication. A core element of the process involved identifying key messages through consensus-building among relevant scientific institutions working on Lake Balaton. These messages were then translated and tested through co-creation processes involving artists, scientists, engineers, authorities, and holders of local and traditional knowledge. This approach allowed complex and sometimes controversial topics—such as sport fishing, pharmaceutical residues, or unlicensed shoreline buildings—to be addressed in open yet fact-based ways.
The main outcome of szabadonbalaton has been the widespread uptake of its key messages in regional and national media, alongside increased willingness by research institutions to engage in public outreach using alternative formats. In the context of EOS1.2, szabadonbalaton is presented as a practice-based example of art–science collaboration that supports environmental understanding and dialogue in a freshwater ecosystem under increasing pressure, and that may be transferable to other contexts where valuable landscapes are at risk.
How to cite: Zlinszky, A. and Berecz, D.: From TED talk to mud walk: a participatory art-science platform for Lake Balaton, Hungary, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18946, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18946, 2026.
Shaken Grounds: Art as Seismography is a transdisciplinary project that explores the fragility and resilience of life on unstable terrain. It brings together artistic research, environmental social science, collective curating, filmmaking and medical trauma studies with Earth sciences, supported by academic and cultural institutions from Austria, Italy, Iceland and Croatia.
The project’s trajectory facilitates a new approach to seismography as both a physical and metaphorical method of inscription, translation and sensing. It aims to engage with geological, social and psychological instability to address the need for social and ecological solidarity.
While artistic engagement with planetary systems has been gaining momentum—especially through the lens of the Anthropocene—human-induced seismicity remains an underexplored area. Shaken Grounds expands the field by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and probing the blurred boundary between natural and anthropogenic disruption.
In doing so, it tackles another gap: the lack of historical contextualisation in relation to current transdisciplinary practices in this field. By juxtaposing contemporary works with modern and historical pieces—including works that explore both literal and symbolic tremors—the project reveals how cultural responses to rupture have evolved alongside scientific, philosophical and societal transformations.
Methodologically, Shaken Grounds is structured into six interconnected zones—geological, somatic, socio-political, philosophical, art-historical and narrative. Rather than functioning as isolated categories, these zones form fluid, overlapping fields of activity, each driving distinct research trajectories, artistic and scientific practices, and modes of dissemination.
The oral presentation at the EGU General Assembly 2026 will combine analytical reflection with an audiovisual research output, including a five-minute extract from the short film Shaken Grounds – Shifting Skies. The presentation will conclude with an outlook on a Creative Europe–supported collaborative programme leading to a curated exhibition and transdisciplinary symposium planned for 2027 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb.
How to cite: Strecker, L., Greil, M., Gansterer, N., Kozek, P., Jaschke, V., and Moebius, W.: Shaken Grounds: Art as Seismography, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-8278, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-8278, 2026.
Rivers have shaped humanity since its beginning; most societies have formed on their banks benefitting from water resources or transportation pathways. Today, rivers stand at the centre of contrasting visions. For some, they are a resource to be harnessed; for others, a living landscape to restore and protect. They are at the forefront of the climate struggle, capable of both safeguarding our communities and challenging them. So, what should our relationship with rivers be?
We asked artists to reflect on it through the project Flow. This project invited 50 artists to explore the river Lech, from its source in the Austrian Alps to its meeting with the Danube in Germany. The Lech was chosen because its story reflects that of many rivers: it has long been central to the growth of cities, agriculture, and industry. Over time, the river was modified and confined to serve human needs. Today, as climate change and biodiversity crisis urge us to rethink how we manage water and landscapes, the Lech is becoming central once again. Restoration efforts are helping it thrive as a natural ecosystem and a place where communities reconnect with nature.
The Lech River was divided into individual segments, each based on morphological and historical uniform characteristics and represented by time-lapse videos created from Sentinel-2 satellite images, along with a field recording of ambient sound captured on that stretch of water. Musicians were invited to interpret this material and compose original pieces. From headwaters to the confluence with the Danube, artists reimagined different stretches of the river in sound, narrating its landscapes and changes through music. The project fostered an ongoing dialogue between scientists and musicians through a series of collaborative meetings held over a four-month period.
Through this meeting of art and science, the Lech became more than a line on the map. It became a flowing story — one that we can listen to, reflect on, and imagine in new ways. It calls on all of us to ponder: What is a river? And, how far can we go in giving it back its freedom?
How to cite: Cecchetto, M., Betz, F., Arisoy, B., Bizzi, S., Fumagalli, R., and Fowkes, S.: Flow: A river’s story, revealed in movement and sound, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-5374, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-5374, 2026.
In February 2025, over 100 women and non-binary leaders with a background in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) joined the seventh and final voyage to Antarctica by Australia-based STEMM leadership organisation ‘Homeward Bound’, on the MS Island Sky. Each of the seven voyages has hosted a collaborative art project for all participants, and this final voyage was no exception. This integration of art and science creates a unique space for expressing complex ideas and relationships, reflecting the program’s core model of inclusive, value-driven and empathetic leadership.
On board, voyage participants co-ordinated an ambitious project to create an illustrated topographic map of Antarctica using 132 ‘postcards’ of A5 size. Each postcard was pre-printed with a segment of the map (from an original line drawing by voyager and project co-lead Jessica Leck). After completing the illustration of the front side of their allocated postcard, using watercolours, collage, fabric, stitching, pens, sequins, and any other available material, each participant then wrote a short letter on the back of the postcard to someone of importance. These messages reflected personal insights gained during the once-in-a-lifetime experience of voyaging to Antarctica. Against all the odds (and despite initial protests from some STEMM professionals about not being able to draw!), all 126 Homeward Bound participants and 7 women expedition staff from the MS Island Sky voluntarily completed a card, resulting in a complex mosaic of a continent that holds many profound different meanings for each person. Fully laid out, the illustrated collective map of Antarctica measures 2.3 m by 1.8 m.
Reflections from the project participants highlighted how creating art in small groups allowed for deeper reflection on what it meant to be in Antarctica, fostering connection to people, places, values, and memories. The collective map has been scanned and assembled into a digital mosaic, overlain with the topographic contours. Our collective has plans to develop an interactive online interface and a travelling exhibition of the physical postcards.
In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the collaborative learning and organisational process gained through the project, alongside Antarctica imagery and insights from women and non-binary leaders in STEMM. We will explore how integrating science and art can deepen community connections to remote, yet globally critical, locations such as Antarctica. Our method serves as a practical template for similar initiatives, and we hope to spark conversation on how to effectively disseminate and upscale this approach to bridging the worlds of art, science and policy.
How to cite: Pauli, N. and Leck, J. and the Homeward Bound Transform Voyage Art Project Collective: Postcards from Antarctica: An evolving science-art collaboration with 133 STEMM professionals, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-4142, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-4142, 2026.
There is a growing interest in the role of the senses in the perception, understanding of, and relationship with environmental change (Lenzi et al., 2025). Sound, light, and smell are all believed to contribute to defining the relationship of an environment with those who inhabit it (Lindborg et al., 2024). Animals also perceive the environment in a multimodal manner using cues from smells, sounds, and sights to operate, especially in uncertain conditions (Munoz et al., 2012). Among the sensory modalities, sound - and the act of listening - received the most attention in research, with its beneficial impact on community health and well-being, as well as the restorative potential of sound, being extensively documented (Levenhagen et al., 2021).
In recent years, artists, designers, and activists have started to engage with sound-driven practices to increase the public understanding of how the environment behaves, changes, and ultimately challenges us (Lenzi and Ciuccarelli, 2022). In this presentation, we focus on how sound artists and sonification designers are employing sound in response to climate change scenarios and environmental variables. We explore the potential of sound to offer an emotional, experiential and embodied engagement with environmental data, and provide new possibilities for the perception and understanding of environmental change.
Through the analysis of 55 projects, we will reflect on two distinct approaches: a) data sonification, i.e. the translation of environmental data into an auditory artifact for data exploration and engagement, and b) speculative sonic processes, i.e. the use of climate change scenarios and speculative storytelling for the manipulation of environmental sounds as a means of communication and engagement. Based on a method defined for the analysis of the Data Sonification Archive (Lenzi et al., 2020), projects will be analysed based on the author’s intention (e.g., art, public engagement, activism, journalism), the type of source data (e.g., the environmental phenomenon that data represent), the expected audience (e.g., experts, general public).
Selected cases will be presented in depth, such as the sound works Water-drought patterns (Panourgia, 2023) and Soil narrations (Panourgia, 2024) that shape environmental sounds as a way to imagine change in future landscapes from a more-than-human perspective. The presentation will be an opportunity for participants not only to reflect on the potential of sound as a means of improving individual and collective sensemaking of environmental phenomena, but also to engage in the first person in listening as an act of knowledge and engagement with the complexity of such phenomena.
How to cite: Lenzi, S. and Panourgia, E.-I.: Sound-driven creative processes for enhancing environmental perception, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10723, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10723, 2026.
During this participatory Photovoice-based research project, we elicited the use of embodied multimodal composition and observed the emergence of young learner-agency during moments of “unscripted” creative collaboration around the notion of place. Inspired by academic mentor Dr. Fikile Nxumalo's Decolonial Water Pedagogies, we experimented with post-qualitative methods, including decolonizing forest and (under) water storytelling. We amplified youth-led portraits, fostered environmental inquiry and connection through ethnographic walks along Río Solimões and centered community futuring strategies with Ticuna youth and elders in Leticia, Colombia.
Through the co-creation of this Photovoice workshop, we conducted independent place-based inquiry and fostered a collaborative collaborative mapping experience with the Arcoiris Foundation community for youth with learning differences. We aimed at fostering resilience through creativity and sparked situated learning and multimodal composition as we walked along the river and across the triple border region that connects Peru, Brasil, and Colombia. Workshop participants used cameras as tools to map their unique life stories and connections to place. After being invited by Arcoiris Foudation to co-create the project, the main author started her critical place research by reflecting on the lonstanding presence of El Monumento a Francisco de Orellana situated at the heart of Plaza Colón, a gathering public in the heart of the city of Leticia, Colombia.
Please note: If proposal is accepted, supplementary materials cannot be re-used under CC BY 4.0 License. Author only grants Copernicus Meetings the right to make presentation files available during the live session. No further re-use or distribution of their presentation is allowed beyond this setting. I clearly mention this out of respect for vulnerable populations whose families have fully consented research but whose images must be visualized within provided research context and community-approved framework.
How to cite: Schope, V.: "Countermapping" the notion of place along Río Solimões: a participatory art research project with Ticuna youth using Photovoice and critical place environmental inquiry, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18559, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18559, 2026.
This report addresses the core challenges of space physics popularization—such as abstract principles and low public accessibility—and explores an effective science-art integrated approach through the case of the Chinese Dual Auroral Radar Network. It introduces the network’s optimized dual-station layout, fundamental electromagnetic wave detection principle, and its critical scientific values in imaging the Earth's plasma circulation dynamics and revealing the energy transfer mechanisms of auroral electrons. The report shares practical experience of visualizing complex detection processes via vivid 3D animation and conveying scientific charm through stunning auroral images and engaging storytelling in science popularization videos. It also summarizes interdisciplinary collaboration modes between scientists and artists, aiming to provide a replicable model for the public outreach of large scientific facilities.
How to cite: Zhang, J.: Science-Art Integration in Space Physics Popularization: A Case Study of the Chinese Dual Auroral Radar Network, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-2656, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-2656, 2026.
As scientists, we spend our time developing new methodologies and innovative strategies to answer the knowledge gaps in our fields. Communicating this to peers is a familiar process that contains its own set of unique challenges, but communication to non-peers, including the wider public but also researchers from other disciplines, is something many of us struggle with.
I am part of two vastly different disciplines; I use geo-electric techniques (1) to study active volcanic processes (2). We are a rather small group of people working on both, hence interdisciplinary communication poses an obstacle in both directions. A second challenge is the communication to a wider audience, which is especially relevant in a field like volcanology.
In my experience, the two are not mutually exclusive: a clear and concise understanding of the methodology is essential for colleagues from other fields to know how to interpret the results. This is also true for a wider public that is generally not satisfied with a final result but needs to grasp the why and how for our credibility as scientists. An additional problem I encounter is that people often have a glamorized notion of what a volcanic eruption entails, including fellow scientists, and while that is correct for some cases, the field contains so much more than the impressive lava spectacles. During the short time I have been active in academia, I have been faced with these issues on multiple occasions and wanted to tackle them in a visual way, as many people, including myself, are visual learners. I needed to find a way to tackle this visualization obstacle, but as a PhD student, I did not have an extensive network yet, so I decided to give it a shot myself.
From a young age, I have been an artistic person: always drawing, painting, journaling, or stitching, and I wanted to channel this creative outlet into my work as an academic. I had a vision, I had a skillset, but I quickly realized that translating that vision into something that can be used in this digital age was not as easy as it seemed, and acquiring the skills needed even less so. The forest of digital drawing and animation tools can be overwhelming, often has a steep learning curve, and without any formal education, it is hard to reach its full potential. I ended up following courses on digital drawing for scientific purposes and used the skillset I acquired there in all my communication efforts: from drawing conceptual models for papers, to creating eye-catching posters and infographics. I have found good and attractive visuals to be invaluable in scientific communication; they help peers and the public understand what we are doing and why, but also attract attention so your work can potentially reach a wider audience. I want to showcase this with some of my work, highlighting the animation I made illustrating how an Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) measurement works, from field acquisition to the modelling and final result.
How to cite: Vanhooren, L.: Science animations to bridge communication obstacles to laymen and experts – a story of struggles and solutions, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-3960, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-3960, 2026.
How to cite: Nielsen, K.: Do You Hear the Science? Data Sonification as Method for Outreach, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1622, 2026.
The limitation of the natural sciences in conveying the severity of the climate and ecological crises and in instigating action have become increasingly evident, particularly in light of recent geopolitical shifts. There is increasing recognition that the role of the arts is central in shaping humanity’s aspirations and inspiring a just-sustainable transition.
This presentation discusses the outcome of an arts-science collaboration between the authors – one a performance artist–scholar, and the other a climate scientist. This collaboration took the form of a co-designed and co-taught course, Theatre of the Climate-Performing a Just Future, positioned at the intersection of earth sciences, systems thinking, and participatory arts. The course proposed to move beyond data dissemination to engage the mind and body, emotion and ethics, and the more-than-human world.
The course blended ecological theory and systems thinking with theatre, dance, storytelling, and visual arts. Drawing on Bruno Latour’s call to decentre the Anthropocene, students developed a Geo-play framework in which animate and inanimate actors-fish, sea, nets, weather, policy, and people, were re-animated to bring emotions into climate discourse. Building on this, the course experimented with emotional practices such as mobilising, naming, communicating, and regulating, alongside participatory methods inspired by Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed.
A decisive shift occurred during a field visit to Urur Kuppam, a fisher community in Chennai. Conversations with a community elder and women of the fishing community revealed how climate change intersects with long-standing injustices; coastal pollution, destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling, eroding livelihoods, and the systematic invisibilisation of women’s labour and indigenous knowledge. These encounters reframed students’ understanding of expertise. Fisher knowledge emerged not as anecdotal local input, but as a form of science; embodied, intergenerational, and relational, excluded from centralised, satellite-driven policy models.
The course culminated in a first-of-its-kind spect-actor, multi-art production called When the Sea Changes, Who Decides?Through visual culture, embodied performance, and audio-visual stimuli, the production staged a wicked problem in which multiple actors and systems, often well-meaning yet poorly informed, collide to shape precarious coastal futures. The silent presence of a fishing woman become a powerful marker of unequal burdens and invisibilised labour. Spectators were transformed into spect-actors, invited to walk through scenes of toil, insecurity, and ecological loss, and to enact empathy as a call to action.
The post-performance discussion instigated heartfelt emotional responses from both the performers and the audience.
The presentation will share curated snippets and performance footage to demonstrate how Theatre of the Climate-Performing a Just Future unfolded as a pedagogical and performative process.
We argue that art–science collaborations can incorporate emotion as a legitimate mode of knowing. We propose participatory performance as a vital bridge between earth sciences, lived experience, and justice-oriented climate futures. Together, these insights position performative pedagogy as a transferable model for universities, scientific institutions, and public forums, suggesting how embodied, participatory art–science practices can foster ethical imagination, collective responsibility, and sustained dialogue around climate justice, policy, and planetary care across cultural, educational, and coastal contexts worldwide today.
How to cite: Ganesh, S. and Dhara, C.: When the Sea Changes, Who Decides? Performing Climate Knowledge Beyond Data, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-4994, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-4994, 2026.
Fantasy and science fiction stories often take their readers to worlds far away, to fancy planets and their harsh conditions, to forests with fantastic plants and epic waterfalls, to fabulous animals on land and under water - all created by the imagination of the writer. Actually, we do also have such a fantastic place on real planet Earth – the Southern Ocean surrounding the icy continent Antarctica.
Why not take the many shapes of sea ice and the ice berg alleys of the present and the Antarctic rainforests and rivers of the deep past to tell a fantasy story that inspires? The strongest ocean current on Earth is driven by the “furious fifties” and “screaming sixties”, this place is made to tell stories about! Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are among the least accessible places for humans. The lucky ones who do research there, bring back concerning and astonishing new insights every season. I aim to use the art of storytelling to make the scientist’s knowledge and fascination of this “real fantasy world” accessible and engageable. And I wonder whether words can draw pictures as powerful as a brush or a pen can do.
How to cite: Knahl, H. S.: Antarctica and the Southern Ocean – a real fantasy world, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-5055, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-5055, 2026.
In connection with the global sustainability crisis, the (drinking) water sector is at a critical juncture, facing urgent challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, and the need to comply with stricter environmental legislation. Despite significant efforts, traditional approaches are not sufficient to effectively solve these problems. A growing consensus within the scientific community holds that transformative change is necessary — extending beyond gradual adjustments and often requiring a radical restructuring of systems, institutions, and behaviors. An immediate need exists for transformative and innovative methods that can break through existing barriers and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable water system. Disciplinary boundaries and paradigms, biases and world views must be transcended, as they limit the way actors understand and perceive problems.
To better understand their potential, we explored how art/science collaborations may foster transformative learning which is essential for transformative change. For this purpose, we performed a literature study and held a series of expert interviews, addressing the sociological context and the historical interrelationship between the fields of art and science, and their respective (perceived) roles in society.
The historical analysis results showed how the practice and public reception of (Western) art have changed throughout the centuries. From the 19th century onwards, the arts and sciences separated into progressively autonomous fields. In the 21st century a shift is identified: the autonomous stance of science appears to have passed its peak, and the arts are once again becoming more involved in societal and social processes of change — fueling a rapprochement between art and science.
Two types of collaboration were distinguished in our study: instrumental and synergistic art/science collaborations. The instrumental approach strategically uses artistic expression to promote or make scientific research accessible to a broader audience. In contrast, the synergistic approach involves an equitable interaction in which scientists and artists inspire and influence each other. Rather than merely translating scientific research via artistic expression, the process involves a dynamic exchange in which both disciplines challenge and stimulate each other in new ways. Art and science together, shape the scope, narrative, language, and outcome of the process. Our study concluded that a synergistic approach is particularly valuable in dealing with complex “wicked problems” and examined success criteria for art/science collaboration.
The exploratory research was followed up by a 5-month artist-in-residency (AiR) at KWR Water Research Institute in 2025/’26. This project, conducted by artist Mariko Hori, focused solely on the synergetic art/science collaboration. By integrating artistic practices into the research environment, the AiR challenged conventional approaches, offered new perspectives on water-related problems, and provided insight into the dynamics of transdisciplinary collaborations. The main insights and outcomes of the AiR project will be presented.
How to cite: van Summeren, J., Barendse, K., van Aagten, E., and Hori, M.: Art/Science collaborations for transformative change in the water sector, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-7386, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7386, 2026.
Soils are typically viewed as providers of nutrients, reservoirs of biodiversity, or regulators of climate processes. Far less attention is paid to their aesthetic dimension. Beneath our feet exists an invisible world of structures and patterns that can be both scientifically meaningful and visually striking. This contribution presents the SoilART Project, which explores soils (Siberian and not only) through the lens of the aesthetics of the invisible.
The project investigates art-science co-creation to bridge the gap between soil science and society, fostering engagement, reflection, and dialogue around environmental change. SoilART applies a two-fold approach: (1) revealing aesthetic forms created by natural soil processes, and (2) using soil itself as a medium for artistic expression. By integrating artistic practice with scientific inquiry, SoilART offers a novel framework for communicating soil complexity and highlights the importance of soil conservation as a foundational yet often overlooked component of Earth’s ecosystems.
How to cite: Tarkhov, M., Matyshak, G., Goncharova, O., Chepurnova, M., and Khirk, A.: Hidden aesthetics beneath our feet: Soil Art as a novel approach to addressing complex challenges in a changing environment, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13043, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13043, 2026.
In recent years, weather-related extreme events have shown the limits of technical approaches to urban water challenges and highlighted the urgent need to rethink the relationship between cities and water and to see water as a partner in shaping transformative, climate-safe and just urban futures. However, existing scientific studies depicting future trajectories of urban water management have struggled to make the intertwined social and ecological dynamics of (transformative) urban adaptation tangible and accessible. This study focuses on the potential of visual communication of scenarios to stimulate both learning among scientists (during the process of creating the scenarios) and social learning (as a next step using the developed “narrative images”) to motivate diverse societal actors to engage with the complexity of sustainable urban water management. Art can overcome barriers of scientific and technical concepts and touch peoples' inner motivation for preserving and sustainably transforming our cities in a way that written texts cannot. In addition, art-based research can be seen as a form of research on social-ecological relations and it thereby can help people engaging with the complexity of urban system processes.
As sustainability challenges transcend disciplines, this study draws methodically on an interdisciplinary scenario approach. By actively involving scientists from various natural, engineering and social science disciplines in an art-based research approach, we seek to rethink interdisciplinarity in order to develop pluralistic and co-existing perspectives. With this in mind, we aim to opening up the process of envisioning the future and explicitly not “reducing the future to climate”.
In this study, we seek to explore the tension between possible and desirable futures using a qualitative scenario-building approach. Three adaptation scenarios were developed in a participatory process and professionally visualized as “narrative images” using the city of Hamburg as a case study. The scenarios take place in 2050 depicting a gradient ranging from coping to incremental adaptation to transformative adaptation for managing the water-adaptation nexus: “Water defensive city,” “Water resilient city,” and “Water aware city.” The study presents an innovative art-based scenario approach as a way of engaging with social-ecological futures. In this way, the “narrative images” create a tangible and shared entry point to the complexity of socio-ecological relations and serve as an integrated boundary object bringing together the different mental models of the participating disciplines. By stimulating learning within our interdisciplinary team, the art-research-linking approach appears to be a suitable example of how to stimulate discussions to move from the conceptual debate on transformative adaptation versus non-transformative strategies (i.e., coping and incremental adaptation) to an empirical and practical level. In addition, the “narrative images” aim to motivate diverse local societal actors engaging with the complexity of (sustainable) urban adaptation and water management, serving as a starting point for imagining socially constructed futures.
How to cite: Hanf, F. S., Meier, L., Hawxwell, T., Oßenbrügge, J., Knieling, J., and Sillmann, J.: “Narrative images” as a learning approach: (transformative) adaptation scenarios for dealing with urban water risks in Hamburg, Germany, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13836, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13836, 2026.
Effectively communicating complex Earth system science, such as tipping points, thresholds, and nonlinear dynamics remains a major challenge, particularly for non-expert audiences. While scientific abstracts are optimized for accuracy and efficiency, they often leave little room for emotional engagement, ambiguity or reflection. Artistic translation of scientific concepts can be an effective method for re-expressing scientific content in ways that complement traditional communication.
Drawing on the art-science exhibit DELICATE as a case study, a practical approach to translating scientific abstracts into visual artworks is outlined. Rather than only illustrating results, this translation process focuses on identifying key tensions, metaphors and uncertainties embedded in scientific language. Concepts such as balance versus instability or gradual versus abrupt change are explored and re-expressed through visual form, material choice, and abstraction. The goal is not simplification but preserving scientific integrity while opening space for emotional and intuitive engagement.
The work is grounded in the perspective of an Earth system scientist working at the interface of cryosphere research and artistic practice. It reflects on the choices, constraints and responsibilities involved in art-science translation, and discusses how such methods can be adopted by researchers and artists alike. By presenting artistic translation as a reproducible practice, this contribution aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and expand the toolkit for communicating urgent environmental challenges.
How to cite: van der Laan, L. N.: Translating scientific abstracts into art: methods for emotional and cognitive engagement with Earth system science, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19827, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19827, 2026.
Successful adaptation planning can be made more actionable by drawing on diverse forms of knowledge. These range from locally grounded experiences to scientific understanding of projections of climate and societal change and their potential impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems. Equally important for planning and action is the ability to imagine the desired future outcomes. However, the volume, complexity and inherent uncertainty of information may impede stakeholders’ ability to envision those outcomes and take action accordingly.
We present an approach[1] for co-developing adaptation-stories that integrate quantitative estimates with qualitative knowledge and experience and take advantage of storytelling as a well-known and familiar means of making sense of the world and engaging audiences. The approach is implemented through a participatory process consisting of five steps: (1) co-definition of a notable climate change impact relevant to a chosen livelihood or a specific contextual setting; (2) identification of the climatic and non-climatic drivers responsible for the specified climate change impact; (3) co-evaluation of adaptation measures for alleviating or leveraging impacts; (4) characterisation of the causal mechanisms and assumptions that specify past experiences of notable impacts and adaptation and their potential future development; and (5) co-development of adaptation-stories by researchers and stakeholders. The resulting stories are fictional accounts that may be set in the future or alternatively describe past adaptation.
We argue that well-crafted adaptation-stories that also employ artistic narrative licence, may empower local actors by grounding climate change adaptation in their lived experiences and livelihoods. Moreover, the inclusion of visual artistic illustrations, especially when depicting recognizable local settings, can increase the stories’ ability to resonate with audiences. Incorporating storytelling into the process of making scientific knowledge more accessible and relevant can yield accounts that aid imagination and communication, while also fostering new ways of thinking that bring together perspectives and actors that are often overlooked. An added dimension to future viewpoints on adaptation concerns the context in which they are expressed. This can be introduced by relating stories to region-specific socioeconomic scenarios, themselves projected through narrative and artistic means.
We illustrate this through two examples set in Finland: one involving the renewal of a hospital and the other focused on dairy production. Both examples project future standpoints of different actors adapting to heat-related challenges. Co-creation with local actors was seen as instrumental in ensuring that the work addressed topics most relevant to the cases at hand in a fair and inclusive manner. We also show how artistic interpretation can provide powerful support for stories, but should be deployed with discretion to avoid unintended consequences that may undermine key messages.
[1] Pirttioja N, Abernethy P, Ahonen S, Fronzek S, Jouppila T, Jylhä K, Kautto N, Luhtala S, Palosuo T, Rimhanen K, Ruuhela R, Saarremaa K, Carter TR, 2026 Adaptation-stories for imagining futures adjusting to a changing climate, Climate Risk Management, doi: 10.1016/j.crm.2025.100785
How to cite: Pirttioja, N., Abernethy, P., Ahonen, S., Fronzek, S., Jouppila, T., Jylhä, K., Kautto, N., Luhtala, S., Palosuo, T., Rimhanen, K., Ruuhela, R., Saarremaa, K., and Carter, T. R.: Imagining climate-resilient futures through adaptation-stories, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20120, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20120, 2026.
We joined the United Nations One Ocean Expedition with a simple question: what changes when artists are not asked to interpret science after the fact, but become part of the research process itself? The expedition brought together scientists, artists, and communicators working across the Gulf of California and the Sonoran Desert, reflecting the bi-national and land–sea systems that connect communities in Mexico and the United States. Through Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers, artists joined a working scientific expedition alongside researchers, sharing space, time, and uncertainty in the field. This created conditions for artistic practice to evolve alongside scientific observation, shaping how questions were asked, how cross-border systems were understood, and how meaning was made in real time. Drawing from interviews, field experiences, and creative outputs developed during the expedition, we reflect on how integrated art–science collaboration can elevate research by deepening emotional connection, expanding whose voices are centered, and translating complex Earth system science in ways that remain rigorous while becoming more human. We consider how this bi-national, place-based model offers practical pathways for more inclusive and impactful environmental research, communication, and action.
How to cite: Hall, C., Arturo Ricárdez García, V., Pimienta, E., Sepulveda, I., Isaac García Mayoral, J., and Carver, A.: Art and Science at Sea: Lessons from the One Ocean Expedition Across Baja California, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21615, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21615, 2026.
Science is an inescapable part of our everyday lives and impacts scientists and non-scientists alike. Yet, when it comes to science communication, the barriers between scientists and non-scientists become apparent. This becomes particularly significant for sensitive issues such as the effects of climate crisis. Effective science communication goes beyond presenting facts, and requires engaging audiences in ways that make complex ideas meaningful and memorable. Storytelling as an art form, provides a compelling narrative pathway by framing scientific concepts within characters and narratives that evoke curiosity, emotion, and purpose. Here I will present a short story with poetic hints on my research work on ocean and geophysical fluid dynamics where waves and eddies become characters, and experience diverse phases, interactions, highs and lows during their lifecycle as they navigate complex flows, bringing abstract science to life.
How to cite: Chouksey, M.: Animating Science: Storytelling for Scientific Engagement, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21707, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21707, 2026.
How to cite: Legrand, G.: Climate Cosmograms: artistic methods for reimagining climate imaginaries otherwise, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21835, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21835, 2026.
We describe the creation and public response to a video and sonic composition illustrating the last geomagnetic field excursion - the Laschamps excursion, which took place ca. 40.000 years ago. Excursions are extreme events and happen irregularly in the evolution of the Earth's magnetic field. Using a global model of such an event, we created a visualization and sonification to convey this dramatic moment in Earth’s history to a wider audience. The video reached over one million people online and generated positive feedback, demonstrating how art can effectively communicate complex science. Our work suggests that innovative media can be a powerful tool for public outreach in the Earth sciences.
How to cite: Schanner, M. A., Nielsen, K., Bickerton, P., Panovska, S., and Kervalishvili, G.: Imagining the Intangible - Audio-visual outreach project captures attention, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6676, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-6676, 2026.
This study explores children’s perceptions of the sky and the Universe, as reflected in drawings created by Italian primary school students for a calendar competition organized by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), in collaboration with CINECA, UNITOV (Università di Roma Tor Vergata), and INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica), titled “Guarda su (Look Up)!”.
Children’s drawings represent a valuable tool for exploring their conceptual understanding, emotional engagement, and imaginative interpretations of scientific phenomena. In fact, drawing plays a crucial role in children’s development, as it stimulates imagination and represents an effective means of emotional expression.
Launched in 2005, the INGV calendar project invites schools each year to submit student artwork on Earth science themes. The initiative serves a dual purpose: engaging young learners with science, technology, and the natural world, while also providing a unique opportunity to explore their views of Earth and science
For the 2026 edition we invited primary school children to look up at the sky. But what do children know about the Universe? How do they perceive and represent the wonder offered by the sky—its vastness and its mystery?
Throughout history, humanity has looked upward to find route, measure time, and seek answers. Thanks to their imagination, children are able to travel among the stars without limits. In the competition launched in February 2025, 65 schools from 21 Italian provinces participated, with 1,406 children submitting their drawings. We analyzed the drawings to understand what they represent in the sky and how they choose to depict it. Children transferred in the drawings the celestial objects they observe directly or those they would like to observe. These representations may reflect reality, derived from direct experience and from what scientific research allows us to know today, or they may be based purely on imagination and fantasy. In fact, alongside the Sun, the Moon, and clouds, children also depict planets, constellations, galaxies, and black holes, as well as rockets, spacecraft, and aliens.
Beyond offering insight into children’s feelings about what stands “above”, the results help evaluate how science is portrayed, assessing whether these representations contribute to a shared understanding of scientific concepts and to a less stereotyped image of science.
The 2026 calendar edition was produced with the support of the NET 2024–2025 Project, funded by the European Commission as part of the European Researchers’ Night.
How to cite: D'Addezio, G. and Besker, N.: What do children see or imagine when they Look Up at the Sky?, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-7441, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7441, 2026.
Surtsey and the Unexpected Context of Objects is an interdisciplinary research project situated at the intersection of fine art, environmental science, and cultural analysis. The project examines the interaction between human made materials, natural processes, and socio-environmental systems through the long term study of a single rusted metal object on Surtsey, a volcanic island in the North Atlantic formed during a submarine eruption in 1963-1967.
Surtsey has been strictly protected for scientific research since 1965 and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Regulations prohibit direct human interference, allowing biological colonization and ecological succession to proceed under near pristine conditions. Within this context, a large rusted metal object, believed to be an industrial tank was discovered approximately 70 meters inland from the eastern shoreline and first documented during a scientific expedition in 2007. Its presence, resulting from ocean currents, wave action, and wind rather than deliberate human placement, raises a critical question: should such an object be understood as evidence of human impact, or as the outcome of natural processes acting upon human made material? The project approaches this ambiguity by treating the object as a material indicator of broader human nature interactions.
Fieldwork over the last several years (2014-2025) has documented the decay of the tank using GPS, photography, video and sound recordings, including mapping the distribution of rust fragments from the decaying object. By integrating artistic and scientific methodologies, the project demonstrates the value of transdisciplinary approaches to environmental monitoring, material studies, and science communication. The gradual degradation of iron under Surtsey’s unique conditions provides insight into material decay, localized metal dispersal into geological substrates, and the persistence of human made materials within protected ecosystems. All collected data serves a dual function: as material for artistic presentation in museums and publications, and as scientific documentation submitted to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for archival and future research use. Ultimately, the project frames the rusted object not merely as an isolated artifact, but as a manifestation of processes operating on scales far larger than itself, symbolic of an era in which environmental change increasingly unfolds on human timescales. It highlights the importance of developing new modes of creative interdisciplinary communication to convey complex human environment interactions to broader audiences.
How to cite: Líndal, A., Óskarsson, B. V., and Gudmundsson, M. T.: Surtsey and the Unexpected Context of Objects, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-8233, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-8233, 2026.
Addressing contemporary environmental challenges, such as climate change, land degradation, and ecosystem transformation, requires not only scientific knowledge but also new ways of communicating complexity, uncertainty, and responsibility. Art–science collaborations are increasingly recognised as effective tools to engage diverse audiences emotionally and cognitively, fostering environmental awareness and sustainable mindsets. This contribution presents The Kaleidoscopic Lens of Art: Imaging the Environment, an interdisciplinary educational project that bridges Earth Observation science and artistic practice to promote environmental literacy and meaningful public engagement.
Developed within Italy’s PCTO (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance) framework, the project involved third-year high school italian students working in close collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (IMAA) of the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy. Students analysed authentic satellite imagery and geospatial datasets related to environmental processes and human–environment interactions, including landscape change and urban–natural dynamics. Scientific data were then reinterpreted through multiple artistic languages transforming analytical evidence into visual narratives.
The educational pathway followed a blended methodology combining classroom instruction, field activities, laboratory sessions, and creative workshops. This iterative process guided students from scientific observation and data analysis to conceptual re-elaboration and artistic production. The resulting works—mixed-media paintings, architectural reinterpretations of landscapes, and digitally manipulated satellite imagery—functioned as hybrid artefacts, simultaneously conveying scientific content and eliciting emotional and ethical reflection on sustainability.
The collective exhibition COSMOS CREATIVO: Artistic Transformations of Earth from Space, presented during the European Researchers’ Night (2024–2025), demonstrated the potential of art–science collaboration to act as a powerful form of science communication. By translating complex environmental data into accessible and emotionally resonant forms, the exhibition fostered dialogue between students, scientists, and the wider public, highlighting the shared responsibility of scientific and artistic communities in communicating planetary boundaries and ecosystem fragility.
Aligned with the EU Key Competences for Lifelong Learning and SDG 4, the project offers a replicable model for integrating STEAM education, environmental awareness, and civic engagement. By positioning scientific data as both analytical tools and sources of aesthetic inspiration, The Kaleidoscopic Lens of Art illustrates how art–science collaborations can build bridges between disciplines, enhance public understanding of Earth system science, and support the cultural imagination needed to envision sustainable futures.
Keywords: interdisciplinary education, PCTO, STEM and art integration, environmental awareness, satellite imagery, geospatial data, creative learning, high school education
How to cite: Coluzzi, R., Imbrenda, V., Fanti, L., Traino, W., de Carlo, M., Camardelli, V., Smilzo, A., Cordisco, M., Limone, G., Amato, L., Calamita, G., Ciancia, E., Gandolfi, I., Perrone, A., Salvatore, L., Pilogallo, A., Santopietro, L., and Giampaolo, V.: The Kaleidoscopic Lens of Art: Art–Science Collaborations for Environmental Literacy and Sustainable Futures, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12137, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-12137, 2026.
Many students who take an introductory geosciences course in college enroll to fulfill some type of distributive requirement. These students may be apprehensive about taking a college level science course and/or ambivalent about the relevance of the course to their interests and values. An on-campus field trip to the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery provides an unexpected change of venue for students and encourages them to think of the geosciences as interdisciplinary and the associated content and skills as more broadly applicable than they expect. During the visit, students practice their observation and interpretation skills and explore the intersection of art and the geosciences across three broad themes – earth as media, earth as subject, and earth as backdrop or “canvas” through a variety of activities, including slow looking, small group discussions, and facilitated whole class discussions. A post-visit creative project assignment invites students to explore these connections more deeply and individually, using the medium of their choice. This suite of activities engages students with the geosciences by leveraging curiosity and connections and by refreshing group dynamics in positive ways.
How to cite: Cholnoky, J.: Teaching Geosciences with Museum Collections: Curiosity & Connection, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-5898, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-5898, 2026.
The PerfectSTORM project studies the risk of cascading hazards of extreme rainfall after drought, focusing on hydro-social feedback to guide the future management of drought-to-flood events. Within this project, art-science methods have been employed not only as tools for dissemination, but as integral methodologies throughout the research process. For example, narrative interviews and drawing workshops helped participants express complex ideas and lived experiences.
We would like to showcase some of the art-science collaborations from the project, focusing on three art-science activities. (a) Our Travelling Exhibition is an interactive, portable exhibition that engages diverse audiences. The exhibition integrates multimedia storytelling, scientific visualisations, poems and artistic installations, fostering dialogue and bridging cultural and linguistic barriers. (b) A Documentary Series delves deep into the dynamics of drought-to-flood events, weaving together scientific insights, historical data, and human stories. These films highlight the cascading impacts of drought-to-flood events through scientific analysis and human narratives.c) Our interactive website aims to bring the complexities of drought-to-flood events to life through scientific data, creative visualisations, and participatory storytelling. The website includes interactive maps and visualisations of the models, timelines, and graphs; these features help convey the cascading nature of hazards and their impacts on various scales, from local communities to global patterns.
How to cite: Van Loon, A., Mendoza, H., Weesie, R., and Matanó, A.: Art-science for exploring the lived realities and socio-hydrological interactions of drought-to-flood events, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20995, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20995, 2026.
- The Graveyard Orbit: The region located several hundred kilometres above the geostationary belt, where defunct satellites are "parked" in perpetuity to prevent interference with operational assets.
- The Spacecraft Cemetery: The South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area near Point Nemo, where controlled reentries are targeted to sink decommissioned hardware into the deep sea.
How to cite: Desai, R.: Ethics of Repair: From the Earth’s High Orbits to its High Seas, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13997, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13997, 2026.
In the context of climate change, dominant modes of knowledge production remain largely shaped by Western, positivist and disciplinary scientific paradigms that privilege abstraction, quantification and expert authority. These frameworks systematically marginalize situated, embodied, affective and relational forms of knowing, as well as the voices of those most impacted by climate injustice. Transdisciplinary knowledge production is therefore necessary for epistemic justice because it disrupts these hierarchies and opens knowledge-making processes to plural epistemologies.
This contribution reflects on Science Meets Art (SMA) as a practice-based platform where artistic and scientific methodologies are brought into transdisciplinary collaborations to rethink climate-related knowledge production. Challenging the instrumentalization of art as a communication or dissemination tool and instead, SMA recognize creative practices as epistemic practices positioning creative and arts-based methods as epistemic practices that actively shape research processes, questions and outcomes in environmental inquiry.
Drawing from projects such as “Engendering Climate Futures”, we explore how art-science collaboration enables forms of knowledge production that are situated, embodied, affective and relational, dimensions which are historically erased from academia and often marginalized in conventional climate research. Additionally, we investigate how transdisciplinarity is operationalized through arts-based methods.
“Engendering Climate Futures” is a year-long research and artistic project by Science Meets Art and SOHO Studios in Vienna, focusing on the intersectionality of gender and climate justice, including participatory workshops and featured in an ecofeminism-themed exhibition “What grows between us”. This project employed a participatory mapping exercise of gendered climate change experiences in Vienna, body-territory approaches rooted in decolonial feminist Central and South American methodologies, and collective practices of imagining just climate futures.
These methods create shared spaces of experimentation where artists, scientists, activists and a diverse public co-produce knowledge, allowing for emotional and embodied dimensions of climate change to inform research and policy-oriented debates.
We argue that arts-based methods contribute to epistemic justice by democratizing knowledge production, centering marginalized perspectives and recognizing erased sources of knowledge such as bodies, emotions and lived experiences as legitimate sites of gender and ecological knowledge. These aspects are usually neglected in conventional scientific methods like surveys or expert elicitation. Through the co-creation of visual, material and performative artifacts, SMA fosters inclusive, interactive and reflexive research environments that support trust, dialogue and mutual learning across disciplinary boundaries. Ultimately, this contribution positions art-science transdisciplinarity as central to reimagining climate knowledge and enabling more plural, just and transformative climate futures.
How to cite: Reis, F., Vinca, A., and Cortéz, K.: Knowing Otherwise: Art-Science Practices and the Politics of Knowledge Production, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21333, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21333, 2026.
As also mentioned at EGU2025, to promote the students’ ability to perceive how the climate has been changing and how it is likely to change in the future is an essential base for the Climate Change Education (CCE) in ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). Besides, the detailed seasonal cycles show rather different features from region to region, even within middle and higher latitudes and the changing climate in each area could be sometimes more easily recognized as the “distortion of the seasonal cycle” also by the non-experts. Thus, in the CCE, deeper understanding of the detailed seasonal cycles themselves would be also necessary.
By the way, interdisciplinary approach by collaboration with the art such as music sometimes gives a great help to understand the variety of the regional climate including the detailed seasonal cycles, through the deeper appreciation of the related seasonal feeling. In addition, selection of the study areas not so familiar to the students could also lead to their understanding of the heterogeneous others. Based on the above concepts, interdisciplinary approach including the lesson practice at the university was made on a topic of the climate and songs of the special season spring/May around Germany, at the viewpoint of comparison with those around Japan, at EGU2025.
However, we can find out the various regional differences of the climatic features and the seasonal feelings for the other stages of the cycle, such as the summer, autumn, and so on. For example, while the temperature in midsummer (around August) is much higher than in May in the Japan Islands area, the seasonal mean temperature does not increase so much from May to midsummer (June to August) around Germany. Besides, rather cool days also appear frequently as the large day-to-day variation even during summer around Germany. As such, we will focus our attention to the summer climate and the seasonal feeling around Germany and will report here an interdisciplinary approach on that topic including the characteristics of the musical expression of that song and results of the lesson practice at the university in Japan in 2022 and 2025.
In the lesson practice, the summer climate and seasonal cycle around Germany were firstly explained and the German song “Im Frühling” (In spring) composed by F. Schubert was appreciated, paying attention to how the scenes and emotions expressed by the lyrics “all summer long” in the 3rd verse of this song might differ from each other whether we imagine the climate around Germany or that around Japan. The present activity seems to have provided an opportunity for the students to perceive the climate environments and seasonal feelings quite different from those familiar to them. However, a problem how to explore the appreciation activities also on the musical expression itself for the students not specialized in music remained in 2022 lesson and we performed again in 2025. In this presentation, the results of the lesson in 2022 and 2025 will be also briefly introduced.
How to cite: Kato, K., Nagaoka, I., and Kato, H.: Summer climate around Germany and a song "In Spring" by F. Schubert: A report of an interdisciplinary lesson practice toward promoting students’ perception of changing climate and understanding of the heterogeneous others, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6347, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-6347, 2026.
Coastal zones are experiencing increasing pressure from climate change, environmental change, and population growth. Developing transformative visions for the future that respond to local community values and projected changes can be challenging and even confrontational, given the emotional, social, economic and cultural connections to coasts. This research project presents a novel, interdisciplinary approach drawing on social science, ecosystem science, and landscape architecture, with the goal of providing creative visions for future coasts to inform planning processes.
Two Western Australian case study locations (Cockburn in metropolitan Perth, and Binalup in the regional Albany) provided an opportunity to explore coastal futures in rapidly changing, physically vulnerable areas. Local community members were asked to express their values for the coast through several arts-based methods including paper collage, textile creation, photography and poetry, resulting in over 70 community artworks. Participants were interviewed about the values embodied in the artwork, and the ideal future of depicted locations. These interviews were developed into artists' statements that accompany each creative work.
Key themes from the workshops, lectures in nature-based solutions, and yarning with Indigenous Elders informed design briefs for landscape architecture students and staff at the UWA School of Design. Through the aptly-named 'Rising Tides' studio, imaginative, hopeful designs for key public precincts were displayed at public exhibitions in each location, alongside the community artworks. Over 350 people attend the exhibitions of community artworks, visions and designs. We sought feedback from the general public and from practitioners involved with adaptation planning on whether these representations can spark constructive conversations around adaptation planning. Results indicate positive interest from key stakeholder groups, including practitioners, to adapt the approach to envision coastal futures. Encouragingly, 70% of community participants agreed that they could now imagine the future of their coastline in a different way than before the project.
In a world where diverse, nature-based visions for coastal regions are often lacking, the 'Rising Tides' project fostered dialogue and creative, transformative solutions for adapting to change. The approach is adaptable to other regions and is conducive to scaling up.
How to cite: Pauli, N., Jan Martin, D., Elrick-Barr, C., Rogers, A., Halsmith, R., Van Rooijen, A., Driver, K., Cuttler, M., Nielsen, S., Mouritz, L., and Biggs, E.: Rising Tides: Engaging Coastal Communities through Art to Design a Transformative, Resilient Future, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-2735, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-2735, 2026.
We present a co-creation methodology resulting from an interdisciplinary collaboration between artists and scientists in the production of the climate change play, "Crema, Groenlàndia" (Burn, Greenland). The play explains how the science of climate change is done, showing scientists in their real context and breaking stereotypes. It also aims to sensitise and disseminate knowledge on climate change and encourage audience’s critical thinking. Its uniqueness lies in combining climate scientists, social scientists, and performing artists in a co-creative process to construct the narrative and stage of the play.
Using the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (Friedman, 2008), we conducted an impact assessment based on a series of pre- and post-performance surveys targeting secondary school students and members of the general public, which were complemented with insights from a debate following the performances.
A pre-performance survey of secondary school students revealed gaps in understanding and the need to strengthen climate literacy in educational settings. While most students recognised human activity as the main cause of climate change, many showed limited awareness of the scientific consensus, low interest in further learning about climate change and the scientists, and poor familiarity with governance mechanisms, such as the Paris Agreement and the Conference of the Parties.
Participant feedback collected after a rehearsal performance was used to refine the play, leading to revisions of the script, simplification of technical content, and enhanced use of audiovisual elements to improve clarity and reduce cognitive overload. This illustrates how systematic assessment can directly inform and improve the effectiveness of the science communication practice.
The impacts of the final production were evaluated through a post-performance survey completed by the general public. Audience satisfaction with the play was moderate to high. Participants reported positive learning outcomes, with 80.5% of respondents reporting feeling more informed about climate change after attending the performance. Attitudinal responses reflected high levels of trust in climate science, emotional engagement, and a strong interest in learning about personal and collective actions to address climate change (including different strategies for the reduction of major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, influence on others, and civic activities such as voting). Additional outcomes included the potential of the play to challenge stereotypes about scientists (particularly gendered perceptions) and to foster critical thinking about the lack of ambition of global climate policies and responsibilities.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that, when coupled with iterative impact assessment, arts-based approaches can be an effective way to communicate complex scientific concepts while fostering audience’s engagement and reflection.
How to cite: Terrado, M., Cruells, M., Martínez, S. E., Llort, J., and Crosas, M.: Assessing the impacts of scientific theatre on the audience: the case of "Crema, Groenlàndia", EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-14009, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-14009, 2026.
