Join in! | Climate fountain
Climate fountain
Photo: Nicola Pitaro
When you press the top button, the play of the water in the fountain depicts the history of our climate. In each quadrant, the highest jet shows the increase in atmospheric CO₂ content, the middle jet shows the Earth’s temperature and the lowest jet shows the water vapour content in the atmosphere. The movements are based on observational data from 1973 to 2023.
The other buttons reproduce ground movements as recorded by a seismometer in the form of vibrations. The highest jet shows the distance that the ground travels during the vibration, the middle jet shows the ground’s velocity over time and the lowest jet shows the associated acceleration. This is also shown by the signals on the screen.
- Climate data: As the CO₂ content in the atmosphere increases, the global temperature rises. For every degree of warming, the concetration of water vapour – also a powerful greenhouse gas – increases by about 8 %.
- Live signals (Zurichberg station): These are recorded at Degenried above Zurich and can also be seen at the fountain in Enge in Lake Zurich, the Aquaretum.
- Live signals (focusTerra): the seismometer is on the floor inside this console – right in front of your feet. It also records the vibrations in the ground generated by your movements.
- Linthtal earthquake (Switzerland, 2017): recorded at a seismic station in the centre of Zurich.
- Mars meteorite impact (NASA InSight Mission): recorded in October 2021 following a meteorite impact 48 km north of the InSight landing site on Mars, equivalent to a magnitude 3 quake.