USING POTTERY TO TELL STORIES ABOUT THE GEOLOGIC PAST AND FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EARTH SYSTEMS

Art can convey science to the public in ways that are more understood and that are more interesting to the public. Clay is a well known resource that can be used to power such communication since it is used to make pottery as well as hold stories of the geologic past that contribute to the knowledge of how current Earth systems work and will act in the future. Here, we will create a series of clay sculptures that will tell the story of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, an important moment in Earth history. The PETM will be used as a proxy for future climate change because of its hot and wet climate due to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Clay samples from before, during, and after the PETM, will be collected from river beds in New Jersey. Then we will use x-ray diffraction and cavity ring-down spectroscopy to assess how much kaolinite they contain and how much carbon is stored in samples. The samples will be processed to separate the kaolinite and then that kaolinite will be shaped into works of art to be displayed in an exhibition in Park Science Center. Viewers will be able to see differences in the sculptures, and will be invited to reflect on why each specimen had different volumes of kaolinite and carbon. Informational posters will show how kaolinite and carbon concentrations before, during, and after the PETM were linked to climate-change-induced changes in the hydrological cycle. This reflection brings us back to the present and sparks the questions: How is Earth’s current hydrological system altering in response to climate change? And how do changes in kaolinite production impact carbon storage, and what does this mean for our future?