Exhibition: From Pole to Pole - Indian and Norwegian Experiences in Polar Exploration

The Norwegian component of the exhibition is titled “Polar Norway - the White Adventure”. It will take you on a journey from the polar adventures of Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen in the beginning of the last century, to the daily life of Norwegian scientists, which in the time since the first explorers, survived in the “world’s coldest laboratory” for months on end to conduct research that today is crucial in understanding the impact of climate change.

 

The exhibition will also showcase animals living in the Arctic and Antarctica, such as polar bears and penguins. Polar bears – «the King of the Arctic» is affected by climate change, as the ice-covered areas are being reduced substantially in the Arctic. Consequently the polar bear finds it difficult to move between hunting areas, and this may have negative impacts on polar bear populations in the near future. Similarly, climate change may also have a profound impact on seals, whales, and sea birds.

 

Norwegian polar research can play a role in addressing important geopolitical issues that concern the world today, such as how the climate changed in the past, if there is a link between climate changes in the South and the North, and how vulnerable the Antarctica is to environmental toxins transported to the region by air and ocean currents.

 

The exhibition will be inaugurated at 2 pm on February 3 by the Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Ms. Tora Aasland, and the Indian Minister of Earth Sciences and Science and Technology, Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal. The exhibition is open for the public from January 28 to February 4 at the National Science Centre in New Delhi.