Exhibition in French and English

Tara, discovering a new world: the ocean. This exhibition offers a quasi-immersive experience in the world of Tara expeditions. Set up inside 5 shipping containers, the display takes you inside the Tara floating laboratory to discover the 4 major research programs initiated by the Tara Foundation.

Throughout the journey from one expedition to another, you will discover the major environmental issues.

Learn about the microscopic world of plankton. Become a marine biologist, dive into the origins of life on Earth and understand the crucial importance of plankton – for the climate and for humans. Continuing the visit, take a worrisome plunge into the world of microplastics and its interactions with marine organisms. The reality of this global scourge goes far beyond the disturbing images of plastic bags, bottles and fishing nets floating at sea that necessarily arouse our indignation. By the end of the exhibition, it’s clear that the solutions are on land and in our hands!

Come aboard Tara in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to understand the research conducted by scientific teams in the heart of coral reefs – jewels of biodiversity confronting global warming. You’ll also find Tara on the pack ice during the 507-day Arctic drift that made the schooner the first sentinel in the heart of the climate machine in an area 4 times more affected by global warming than the rest of the planet.

Since October 1^st 2018 – The Tara Ocean Foundation is included in the tour of the Cité de la Mer

Meet planktonic micro-organisms: new workshops for schools and the general public

Since the exhibition’s opening on October 1^st, the educational service of La Cité de la Mer has been offering students from 5^th grade through high school a new workshop dedicated to discovering plankton. Before each meeting, someone goes to the end of the wharf and takes a water sample. In the classroom, students discover this operation via a video and learn about the role and importance of plankton. Each participant can then observe a sample using a microscope. In parallel, the teacher’s microscope is coupled to a digital camera and the drop of sea water, filmed in real time, reveals its treasures to everyone on the big screen, motivating rich and informative discussions for 30 minutes.

School workshop by reservation only: +33 (0) 2 33 20 26 26

citedelamer.com/enseignants

Useful information :

Location: Cité de la Mer, Gare Maritime Transatlantique,
50100 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin.

Date: from October 1st, 2018