Works of art shed new light on climate change

University of Portsmouth: Paintings, watercolours and prints can be used by those who manage Britain’s coastlines to look back in time and better understand the threat of rising sea levels and climate change. … In the past seawalls, groynes and breakwaters have been used to hold back the sea and such structures protect many of Britain’s coastal towns and resorts. But this often had the effect of moving the problem further along the coast.

Thanks to an inspired idea, scientists now have a new tool to better understand how to tackle the threats to Britain’s coastal populations, assets and natural resources. …Dr Robin McInnes, who runs Isle of Wight-based consultancy Coastal and Geotechnical Services, had the idea to combine his two passions, geography and a love of art, to test his theory that we could learn a lot about coastal evolution over the centuries by examining paintings, drawings, prints and engravings.

He and his fellow researchers from the University of Portsmouth examined the work of 400 artists who painted, drew or engraved coastal scenes on the Isle of Wight and the adjacent stretch of mainland coast from Hurst Spit to Selsey Bill between 1770 and 1920. They drew up a shortlist of those artists whose could be considered reliable witnesses and then developed a ranking system for those remaining. They were left with 22 artists whose works could be trusted as a fair and accurate depiction of the coastline.

Dr McInnes said: ‘Using art in this way gives us a clear picture of the scale and pace of coastal evolution as well as environmental and developmental change. It helps us understand how it has been necessary for people who live on coasts to adapt to changing conditions over the centuries; in some locations this has involved retreating to higher or more stable ground further back from the coast.’...