Susan Quateman
978.430.9534 susiequateman@gmail.com
For the past five years I have been looking at the effects of sea level rise on iconic landscapes, statues and buildings of Essex County and Boston. I collaborate with photographer Les Bartlett, creating montages of silk paintings and photography to illustrate the ‘drowning’ that results from sea level rise and storm surge.
Sea Level Rise
“The two major causes of global sea level rise are thermal expansion caused by warming of the ocean (since water expands as it warms) and increased melting of land-based ice, such as glaciers and ice sheets. The oceans are absorbing more than 90 percent of the increased atmospheric heat associated with emissions from human activity.
With continued ocean and atmospheric warming, sea levels will likely rise for many centuries at rates higher than that of the current century. In the United States, almost 40 percent of the population lives in relatively high-population-density coastal areas, where sea level plays a role in flooding, shoreline erosion, and hazards from storms. Globally, eight of the world's 10 largest cities are near a coast, according to the U.N. Atlas of the Oceans.”
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Service
www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html