2025

OUR CHANGING TIDES

DESCRIPTION

Rising sea temperatures and sea level rise are forcing fish to migrate beyond their natural ranges—disrupting our naturalecosystems, and threatening local fisheries. This data visualization project explores the reality of the urgent consequences of oceanic climate change. By combining ecological data with evocative visual forms, it aims to create emotional resonance and public awareness around a complex, often distant issue. The designed forms seek to invite curiosity and contemplation, ultimately enhancing both understanding and emotional resonance with the data.

ABOUT THE DATA

The dataset was publically acquired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] fisheries datasets, as well as the climate indicators datasets from the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. The data ranges through the years 1970 - 2023 including points on sea level, sea temperature, species displacement, stock quantity, and total catch.

Stock
In the species stock visualizations each year cooresponds to the position around the circle in a clockwise rotation. The length of each shard represents the stock in metric tonnes, with the colored portion the calculated percentage of stock which was caught. The intent of the visual form is to evoke nautical imagery, similar to that of fish scales which each species possessing a unique pattern.

Displacement
The species displacement visualization uses overlayed circles to project the change in depth and range aspecies has experienced. Larger circles represent a broader range, while smaller circles represent a narrower range. The direction of a species movement can be identified by the darker circle representing the species current depth. The intent of the visual form is to establish the metaphor of a water column, describing the spatial area where the fish live.

Sea
The climate change visualization displays years along the “x-axis” and the height of each line cooresponds to the sea level and sea temperature, grouped by color. The visual form is based upon seaweed imagery again utilizing an oceanic metaphor to enahnce the visualization communication.

CREATION

The visualizations were created utilizing the Processing environment. Using data manipulation “skeletons” of the nautical forms were created, they were later post-processed using Adobe Illustrator to enhance the final visual representations.

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Last Updated 07.2025