Photographing climate change in Midcoast Maine

Over the winter, I started photographing the effects of climate change here in Midcoast Maine. A lot of these images seem most appropriate in black-and-white, which helps express the gravitas of this moment in our region and on our planet. The light and clouds in this image remind me of the opening, pre-tornado scenes in The Wizard of Oz.

As part of this project, I have been making regular trips to Popham Beach. A series of severe winter storms – includingone in December 2023 and two in January 2024 – have eaten away at the beach’s dunes, which protect both nesting plovers and nearby human developments. Every time I visited Popham this winter, the dunes were noticeably smaller, flatter – and in some places missing altogether.

This image shows grass roots dangling in the air where the dune used to be, with a broken sand fence in the background. These plants and the fencing used to be adequate defenses gainst storm-related dune loss, but these new, stronger, more frequent storms brought on by climate change have created a new reality.

I am hopeful that a new state project designed to trap sand in former Christmas trees lined up along the back of the beach will help restore the dunes at Popham. During my moste recen trip there last week, some of the Christmas trees were already in place. I look forward to watching how this project develops over the coming months.