Lighthouses worldwide are at risk due to the effects of climate change and rising sea levels!
During 2019 and 2020, the Great Lakes experienced historically high water levels. Although lake levels decreased in 2021, by 2024, most lakes are now surpassing their average levels. In the last few years the high water levels rise is largely related to a persistent time period of high precipitation, as well as events that can be considered extreme precipitation. Throughout the Great Lakes region, archaic wastewater systems, crumbling infrastructure and segregated housing have created a perfect storm of flooding vulnerability.
With the warming climate, the transfer of water among land, lakes, and the atmosphere speeds up. In the summer of 2023, heavy rainstorms led to severe flooding in the Great Lakes region, impacting cities such as Cleveland, Chicago, and Duluth. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are treated as a single lake for forecasting by the Army Corps due to their connection at the Straits of Mackinac, causing them to rise and fall together. The increasing warmth in the climate enables the atmosphere to retain more moisture, leading to increased evaporation of water. This results in intensified rainfall during wet seasons and worsens drought conditions in dry periods.
Water levels and water temperatures are two crucial factors that influence the weather and climate changes in the Great Lakes, including Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that higher water temperatures can lead to the proliferation of invasive species and certain harmful waterborne bacteria, posing risks to human health. Furthermore, significant fluctuations in water levels in recent years have resulted in the erosion of public beaches, the loss of sand dunes and bluffs, and damage to infrastructure, particularly lighthouses.
This is impacting lighthouses both domestically and globally, including those situated in low-lying regions facing water inundation and those located on bluffs or cliffs vulnerable to erosion from storms and rising sea levels. With climate change and increasing sea levels posing a significant threat to historical lighthouses, photographer David Zapatka feels a pressing need to photograph as many as possible. He has released a book titled "USA Stars & Lights: Portraits from the Dark" to highlight the endangered structures. In the UK, numerous lighthouses are now in danger of disappearing, with organizations like Black Coral Inc raising awareness about the efforts to preserve this heritage and offering insights into the experience of living in one. Lighthouses have adorned the skylines of numerous nations' ports, guiding sailors, fishermen, and many travelers at sea for centuries.
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