At the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, a seawall borders the water. At the edge, a sign overlooks a small island, called Spoils Island, in the distance. A nearby piling has colored markers showing sea levels.
The sign's title appears over a view of small green islands scattered between bays and creeks. There are three inset maps, two photographs, and an illustration of the measuring pole.
Sign Text in English and Spanish:
"Head into the Gulf of Mexico from here and discover an unmatched world of tangled mangrove islands and shallow channels that harbor a wealth of marine life. But sea level rise threatens this experience. As Earth's warming temperatures melt glaciers and expand ocean waters, it's important to curb activities that cause sea level rise, like burning fossil fuels. Will rising seas engulf this special place?"
Three inset maps along the bottom left of the sign show the same aerial view as sea level rises. The perspective is like a birds-eye view from up over the ocean, looking down on the coast of the Everglades and inland. A "You Are Here" arrow points to the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in the center. Everglades City is just north of you. The Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center is farther inland and northwest, located on the Tamiami Trail. Southeast of you, Chokoloskee is an island off the coast, connected by a roadway. Southwest of you, are Ten Thousand Islands off the coast, with Sandfly Island among the islands.
In the first photo with a blue zero marker, about 75 percent is land, and 25 percent is water.
Caption:
"Boating and camping in this maze of mangrove clusters and sandy shoals offer an experience not to be missed. Are you heading out now?"
The second photo with a red one-foot marker shows the same area with the sea level one foot higher. Water breaks through the coastline and floods areas inland of Everglades City and a little bit beyond the Tamiami Trail. Less islands are shown. The image is now 30 percent land and 70 percent water.
Caption:
"Hundreds of islands lie within a day's paddle by canoe or kayak — but not forever. One foot of sea level rise will submerge many and scour others, like popular Sandfly Island."
The third photo with a red three-foot marker shows the same area with the sea level three feet higher. Most of the islands have been engulfed and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center is under water. Ninety percent is water, with only Sandfly Island, Chokoloskee, and a few islands around Everglades City remaining. The coastline has receded farther beyond the Tamiami Trail.
Caption:
"If sea level keeps rising at today's pace, these 'Ten Thousand Islands' will disappear. Only the highest will remain — those built up as shell mounds by the Calusa Indians."
An illustration shows rising tides along a tall pole, representing the offshore piling, over time. "This pole marks current and projected sea levels to show how rising waters would jeopardize this singular place."
From bottom to top:
The blue zero marker is average sea level in 2000.
A yellow marker representing the average elevation of nearby mangrove forest is about one foot.
The red three-foot marker shows projected sea level in 2100.
The next yellow marker marks the average elevation of Everglades City, about 4 feet.
The last yellow marker shows the average elevation of Sandfly Island Mound: about four and a half feet.
The red twelve-foot marker shows projected sea level in 2300.
Caption:
"Early Native Americans piled seafood shells and bones in mounds, building up low land with debris from daily catches. Today, many coastal dwellers build homes on stilts. Will such adaptations still protect this area from future high seas?"