Experience MOSAiC all around you!
The Arctic sea ice groans and creaks as a massive icebreaker slowly churns through. Later, scientists on an ice floe call out to each other in the dark. A chainsaw buzzes as someone cuts through the ice, exposing the open ocean below.
Viewers from all over the world can now step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever, MOSAiC.
The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate launched in September 2019. Led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the mission froze an icebreaker into the Central Arctic Ocean, to better understand the remote region and the role it plays in global climate and weather patterns.
Now, two 360-degree planetarium dome shows, Into the Polar Night and The Arctic Pulse, are available free for institutions around the world. Individual users can watch a VR version on YouTube or with virtual reality viewers. The show captures the experience of the year-long expedition, as darkness descends, storms swirl, and scientists work to gather data from this harsh and unforgiving environment.
Learn more about the two feature films below.
This request form can be used to request the free dome show version for your planetarium (Select Drifting North: Into the Polar Night or Arctic Pulse).
This webpage provides a curation guide for planetarium staff to facilitate K-12 field trips.
This webpage provides resources and information for educators about the K-12 classroom curriculum developed to accompany these films.
Drifting North – Into the Polar Night, by Amy Lauren
Step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean to watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate launched in September 2019. Led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute, the mission froze an icebreaker into the Central Arctic Ocean, to better understand the remote region and the role it plays in global climate and weather patterns.
Drifting North - The Arctic Pulse, by Lianna Nixon
Follow an international team of scientists from over twenty countries who embark on an epic year-long expedition to the Central Arctic, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) team froze the German Icebreaker R/V Polarstern into the sea ice for a year. For a year, the team drifts with an ice floe and strives to understand the Arctic climate system and its future.
The 360-degree planetarium dome show is the first planetarium feature film that captures the entire year of the Arctic climate, transcending the Arctic’s Polar Night and Day, and the experiences of the MOSAiC team as they face one of the most extreme and unique regions on our planet.
2D Films
Drifting North: Into the Polar Night , by Amy Lauren, YouTube
Drifting North: The Arctic Pulse, by Lianna Nixxon,
Drifting North: Trailer by Amy Lauren and Lianna Nixon
3D Films
Drifting North: The Arctic Pulse, by Lianna Nixon, Dome Format, Youtube
Drifting North: The Arctic Pulse, by Lianna Nixon, 360 Version coming soon, Youtube
Drifting North: Into the Polar Night, by Amy Lauren Dome Format, Vimeo
Drifting North: Into the Polar Night, by Amy Lauren 360 Version, Youtube
About the Film Makers
Two graduate students from the University of Colorado, Boulder played a critical role in filming and producing the planetarium series. Bringing in graduate students is a way to create capacity for early career scientists, filmmakers, and educators as they explore the many ways to creatively communicate climate science. With their backgrounds in filming, education, and the arts, graduate students Amy Lauren and Lianna Nixon worked with MOSAiC experts to capture the experiences of scientists and Arctic climate science. They found that by intersecting environmental science, pedagogy and immersive storytelling, they are able to tell powerful stories which strengthen science engagement and education. With the films complete, Lauren and Nixon continue to work with scientists and experts in environmental communication and create powerful stories that continue to engage the public.
Contact us: mosaic@colorado.edu