A few months ago while I was out on a hike along the Olympic National Park, upon reaching the coast my olfactory glands were overwhelmed by the strong smells wafting onshore and while sitting on an ancient trunk washed up and worn down by incessant waves, cobbles, and wind, I thought about the transition of water from my home in the Rockies down to the ocean.
Up high at 10,000' above sea level where trees cease to exist, where the first drips of snow melting fall and collect into ever larger formations of rushing water, the simple molecular structure of h2o is clear and free from sharing its space with particulates, chemicals, and detritus. But, as time and distance take their toll in both natural and unnatural ways, turbidity ensues.
So, with only a matter of a dozen hours or so needed to move myself by car or plane from the alpine to the ocean, the water's transition from high to low--so obvious and logical--still managed to take me by surprise by it's smell.
Its obvious that the ocean has a pungent smell to someone living up at snowline, it is the bathwater for our dirty planet.
A juxtaposition revealed itself this past Thanksgiving holiday while visiting family in San Diego. Up north on the wilderness stretch of the Pacific, litter was everywhere and permeated into tidal zones in collections made up primarily of plastic, ropes, and styrofoam. However, while down south, the human population has been taking the time to keep the beachfront clean.
While images of garbage in pretty places might help convince us to keep it off the ground, I hope these images are more successful in convincing you that no matter where you live, high or low, the entire stretch needs us all to be more vigilant about reducing our impact, recycling, and treating our ecosystems with respect. #earth #reducereuserecycle #earthdayiseveryday #recycle #coast #water #ocean #birds #wildlife #environment #yourshotphotographer @sonyalpha
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