Shifting Sea
A visual exploration of Sea Level rise
In recent decades, the exponential rise in global temperatures has caused obvious climate anomalies, resulting in the reduction of Earth’s ice cover and rising sea levels.
Currently, in fact, while the cryosphere has shrunk by 40 percent since 1950, sea levels are rising at an exponential rate of 3.5 millimeters per year.
The consequences of rising sea levels are still poorly studied. However, it already seems clear how sea level rise could transform the geography of coastlines, through permanent flooding and related erosion. This would inevitably lead to cascading effects on groundwater, infrastructure and cultural heritage, eventually causing coastal populations to retreat or migrate. Low and fragile coastlines, such as beaches, river deltas, lagoon areas and coastal plains, are particularly exposed, with consequent risk also posed to large cities such as Miami, Alexandria, Venice, New York, Singapore, Jakarta and many others.
In this context, it can be estimated that already at present more than 400 million people worldwide are directly or indirectly affected by rising seas and that this number may increase significantly in the coming years.
The situation requires mitigation and adaptation actions to cope with problems that are already beginning to assume difficult-to-manage proportions and, even before that, requires an awareness and careful understanding of the complexity of mean sea level rise, its causes, and its diverse and sometimes dramatic consequences.
Scientific data sources: Review of EPICA Dome C CO2 record from 800 to 600 kyr prior to this
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory- Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
GISS Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP)
JPL_RECON_GMSL. Ver. 1.0
Global mean sea level trends from TOPEX/Poseidon integrated multimission ocean altimeters.
The graph shows the close link between rising atmospheric CO2 (in black), rising global temperature (in red) and rising sea levels (in blue).
This is because the more the earth warms due to the greenhouse effect from increasing CO2 emissions, the more the seas rise because as they warm they expand, occupying more volume. At the same time, polar ice melts as temperatures rise, spilling into the oceans, contributing to the rise in global sea level.
Today the sea rises about 4 mm a year and by 2100 it could exceed 1 meter if we continue to warm the earth as we do today.
Below are the hotspots so far selected where campaigns for the production of the documentation envisaged by the project can take place.
The numbers of the project
The project
The Macromicro Association, with its decades of experience gained through major international projects such as “On the Trails of the Glaciers,” decided to start a visual and scientific communication project on the phenomenon of rising seas. Although it is occasionally talked about in the media during extreme events (which are now becoming increasingly frequent), it is a phenomenon whose complexity is mostly ignored by the public.
With the help of a team composed of photographers, filmmakers, scientists, and communication experts, the Macromicro Association intends to study the different aspects of this ongoing process, investigate the possible consequences at both the naturalistic and socio-economic and anthropological levels, verify the mitigation works currently implemented or hypothesized, and document these different aspects, with a purpose of popularizing and raising awareness of the issue.
The methodologies
Through its interdisciplinary approach and the combination of art and science, the Macromicro Association will make use of various methodologies to document and communicate the direct and indirect effects of rising mean sea levels in an emotional way.
The involvement of scientists and professionals from various fields of research and work will allow for scientifically accurate documentation and effective communication in order to engage and raise awareness as much as possible.
The expeditions
Objectives
Scientific objectives
Sea level rise is one of the most obvious consequences of
climate change, with environmental and social effects still largely to be quantified.
The Shifting Sea project aims to:
- Study the environmental and socio-spatial responses of coastal communities to the effects
of sea-level rise, gathering qualitative and quantitative evidence on spontaneous and institutional
adaptation strategies. - Analyze the causes and dynamics of sea-level rise at global and
local scales, through collaboration with research organizations and integration of environmental and
climate data. - Visually document, with scientific and geo-referenced photographic techniques, the
environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Sea Level rise in vulnerable coastal areas, creating
an iconographic database to support long-term studies.
Communication objectives
- Raise awareness of the risks and consequences of rising sea levels through the dissemination of scientific images and stories from the most vulnerable coastal areas.
- Engage local communities and institutions by promoting a participatory dialogue based on the evidence gathered, to foster awareness and stimulate shared actions of mitigation and adaptation.
- Disseminate the project results nationally and internationally through exhibitions photography, documentaries, publications and digital platforms to amplify the cultural and scientific impact of the project.
Our vision
Create global awareness of sea level rise through scientific images and hard data, inspiring communities and decision makers to protect coasts and build a resilient future.
Spreading knowledge and authentic images of sea level rise to spur conscious actions, guarding the fragile beauty of the coasts and the future that binds us to the sea.
Fabiano Ventura,
Project Director