Anna Howell

Consequences of Warming Water on Lake Michigan’s Fish

Anna Howell
Junior, Stamps School of Art & Design

Medium

Digital and watercolor

Abstract

This piece was created after visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes and getting a better understanding of how climate change is already affecting areas around us. It is meant to bring to light threats and consequences that native and non-native fish species in Michigan that might have been overlooked. I researched common and key native and non-native species, their preferred water temperatures, and Lake Michigan’s water temperatures over the past several decades to find a correlation. After the research and several iterations, I created this piece to communicate the information clearly.

This submission’s main components were, for the most part, illustrated in Adobe Photoshop, including the background, bubbles, and thermometer. However, to include a more personal touch and emphasize their role as the main focus of the piece, the fish were painted by hand using watercolor and colored pencil. The illustrations of the various fish were then scanned into Photoshop and added to the piece. Things like the illustration of the larger thermometer was added for easy context for the viewer to know it was about the temperature of the water without having to read. Along with that, smaller thermometers attached to each fish added context to the preferred temperature of each species without having to do a lot of reading, and the addition of a “B” or a “H” is indicative of if that species is benefiting or being hindered due to the changes. The addition of these illustrative aspects, which are explained in a key at the bottom of the illustration, try to diminish the amount of heavy reading needed to understand key points.

The main purpose of this project was to research the possible consequences of warming waters in Lake Michigan on several common species of fish found there, and express those findings to the public in an easily digestible way. To do this, the first things investigated were how much and where the water was warming and which fish were common and which also have an impact on the communities around them. Then the preferred temperatures for survival of each of the fish were collected. Adding all this information together led to the conclusion that multiple fish native to Lake Michigan were struggling, while other native and invasive species were thriving in the warmer water, which could have further effects on surrounding communities and ecosystems.