Indoor glaciology: "Melting Landscape" to increase people awareness on climate change impacts

In recent times, it is becoming increasingly important to raise people's awareness and consciousness about climate change and its effects. Out of this need comes the importance to design innovative approaches able to make people aware of ephemeral natural resources. Freshwater is one of the most precious resources on our planet, and cryosphere mainly contributes to its availability for hydropower, cropping and civil uses. Within this context, the installation titled "Melting Landscape" by Kei Kaihoh exposed during the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of the Biennale di Venezia (Italy) in 2021 aimed to increase interest and consciousness of the Exhibition's visitors to climate change and its environmental impacts. The installation represented a modern version of Yukimuro, a traditional snow storage method, used to preserve food on the mountains of Japan. During this experiment of indoor glaciology and geoeducation, we monitored the thermal and radiative conditions driving indoor snowmelt comparing them to the actual outdoor conditions in the mountain environment. To achieve this purpose, in addition to meteorological data acquired near the "Melting Landscape" work, we analyzed data from other two sites: i) Venezia, the city where the International Architecture Exhibition was held, and ii) Cortina d'Ampezzo, from where the snow used for the "Melting Landscape" work was brought. By investigating the dynamics of snow melting in a controlled indoor setting, this study serves as a powerful tool for increasing public awareness and fostering a deeper understanding of the implications of climate change.