CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE LANDSCAPE
OF CAPE ANN

Climate change is slowly and quietly reshaping the landscape of Cape Ann. Global warming brings rising sea levels, violent storms and intense heat and drought. Invasive plants are encroaching on our shorelines, woods and residential gardens. Kudzu, depicted here encroaching on native sumac, is creeping menacingly northwards. We are slowly losing barrier beaches, such as at Crane Beach, and sand dunes to rising sea level and frequent storms. Houses built atop or very close to sand dunes and beaches (for now, in areas outside Cape Ann such as Nantucket) are all too frequently toppling into the ocean following intense storms. Our salt marshes are in danger of becoming compromised, sometimes even creeping into woodlands, as fierce seas batter upon them. Our forests of maple, birch and beech are imperceptibly moving north, perhaps to be replaced by southern trees such as crepe myrtle.

The goal is to illustrate the insidious effects of climate change on the landscape of Cape Ann. By weaving together art and science, I aim to provoke and inspire people, and to encourage dialogue about ways we can prevent or ameliorate the effects of climate change on the beautiful shorelands, forests and open spaces of Cape Ann.