Shifting Baselines: Visualizing Climate Change in America’s National Parks

This visual essay highlights four national parks where the impacts of climate change are well-documented and visually compelling (Everglades, Mesa Verde, Joshua Tree, and Mount Rainier). In drawing attention to these visible climate impacts and effectively interpreting the changes in situ, the park service can play a key role in clarifying the issue of climate change for the American public. Park managers and other park professionals have undoubtedly identified locations in their own management units offering similar opportunities to engage visitors in the science of climate change (either through on-site signage or ranger-led programs). The photographs comprising this visual essay, taken over eight weeks of fieldwork from 2017 to 2024, are intended to spark ideas and move the conversation forward.