​​​​​​​Susan Evans Grove

"Heater" 2023

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Globally sea levels are rising one eighth of an inch per year. That might seem like much but it increasing and it is relentless. By 2050, sea level along contiguous U.S. coastlines could rise as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) above today's waterline, according to researchers who analyzed nearly three decades of satellite observations. When you consider that nearly 40% of the population in the U.S. lives in cities in coastal areas these rising seas threaten infrastructure necessary for local jobs and regional industries. Roads, bridges, subways, water supplies, oil and gas wells, power plants, sewage treatment plants, landfills—virtually all human infrastructure—is at risk from 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 ocean is absorbing more than 90 percent of the increased atmospheric heat associated with emissions from human activity.

 

"Heater" is made from a baseball with its leather removed floating in a case with water. In baseball Heater is a name for a fast ball.