A FLORIDA KEYS SUNSET SERIES
Harry Sparke
Recently, my girlfriend and I visited the Florida Keys, an archipelago stretching from the southern tip of Florida, west finishing 90 miles north of Cuba. These islands, locally known as the Keys, are home to a multitude of ocean and land wildlife. The marine ecosystem includes sharks, turtles and the well-known mascot of the Keys, the manatee. The land is home to alligators, iguanas, pelicans and Key deer; all of which have to co-exist and share the limited space with the 80,000 people who call the Keys home.
The images which you can see were taken one evening after driving back from dinner on Marathon Key. This bright moon was low on the horizon and glowed a blood red. We stopped our drive to take photos of this unique and colorful sunset. As the sun began to set, the colours in the sky deepened. These spontaneous photos display the Keys’ natural beauty and the overlapping of nature with urban. An interesting connection one can make between these photos of the gorgeous natural beauty which can be found throughout the Florida Keys is the extremely damaging effect climate change has had on the islands.
The vibrant coral reefs which for decades have had various species have, unfortunately, experienced a lack of liveliness as of recently. The effects of coral bleaching have impacted the sea anemones and corals, just as plastic pollution has harmed hundreds of sea turtles each year. The colorful sunsets remain strong and engaging, but the life under the sea faces struggles to remain vibrant for future divers and visitors.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 4.