Breif: UNESCO
After meeting and discussing with three members of the group, we decided to make this project on the theme of “Whale Fall”.
Idea：
The ocean is one of the largest ecosystems on Earth. The oceans are extremely rich in biodiversity. As the largest animal on Earth, whales store 22% of the Earth’s carbon. Whales eat krill and photosynthetic plankton at about 8,000 pounds per day; The excrement of whales after digesting their food contributes to the reproduction of krill and plankton, as well as increasing photosynthesis and depleting atmospheric carbon stores; Even if a whale dies, the carbon contained in the carcass is transferred to the deep sea as it decays, replenishing the biocarbon pump.
The current goal is to create an ocean scene that players can interact with using a VR device in order to introduce players to 52Hz whale stories and whale falls and the important role whale falls play in the ocean.
Story：
The story follows the growth of whales as a timeline, and as time changes, the climate of the ocean also changes. The player takes on the role of a spectator fish, following the whale in the third person. Calves swim in the middle of the sea and grow in size with each predation.
When the whale breathes at the surface of the water, the player follows to the surface to see the scene beyond the surface of the sea, and shows the material exchange process of the whale’s ventilation through some carbon symbols.
Whales defecate. The player can see phytoplankton blooming after the whales defecate, and the photosynthesis of planktonic algae can be shown through some carbon symbols.
Whales defecate. Whales can use symbols to represent the process of feeding in shallow waters and transporting carbon dioxide in deep waters.
As the whale grows, we can join the changes in the coral. As time goes on, coral bleaching becomes more and more severe, fewer organisms are nurtured, and symbiotic algae can no longer absorb light for corals.
Whale falls. The whale dies eventually, and after the whale falls, many marine animals inhabit here, forming a whale fall circle.
Research:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/whale-fall.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/social-lives-of-whales.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2020/july/echolocation-gives-whales-lopsided-heads.html