The Mountain State watches as her forest and trees shift in the ground and her storms tend to grow stronger every year. Climate change is present in West Virginia with unpredictable seasons, flooding rivers, and communal distress. The story of West Virginia doesn't just remain within the mountains. Every river and creek meets down to the wider oceans. All the tides and temperatures connect into one. Taking care of Mountain Mama means to take care of our seas in unison, regardless of distance. Let's take a journey with the ocean and Mountain Mama to see what challenges their friendship faces! 

The moon is the key to the tides, guiding them like a puppet master. The calmness of the tides is disrupted by climate change, causes the sea water to rise and overbear the lands, floods being a result. Mountain Mama's own rivers join within the moon tide rhythm, showing off how every one of the rises and falls match up with her ocean friend, through the good and bad.  

                              Tides

                         Tsunami's

Tsunamis appear suddenly from sudden shakes, quakes, and storms on the ocean's side. Climate change makes these forces transform into an unstoppable force, warming water temperatures and creating intense weather havoc, which brings destruction. Mountain Mama doesn't directly match her ocean best friend, but her floods can also create destruction for her Appalachian community. 

                         Red Tides

Red Tides color their friendship as they bloom from crazy algae, tainting the waters with poison! Climate change warms the waters and supports the algae blooms, poisoning the ocean's community of fish and sending sickness on land. Mountain Mama's rivers full of nutrients from farms glide down to the ocean, sometimes feeding into the troubles. Whatever is put into the waters in Mountain Mama travels all of the way down to her larger friend. 

                    Ocean Warming

The ocean can feel herself heating up more and more as every year passes. Climate change grabs onto the heating the fuels more warming, melting ice, and creating even more powerful storms. Fish are trying to swim away from the chaos as coral reefs are bleaching in their entrapment. Mountain Mama can feel the suffering her friend is going through, facing seasonal challenges of her own. The warming waters put the two friends through painful scenarios that they struggle to escape from. 

                        Hurricanes

Hurricanes send even more challenge for the friends as they tear in the ocean, causing a stirrup of force and fury. Climate change's evil force feeds the hurricanes, turning the storms into something even bigger and harder to handle. While the ocean suffers immediate destruction, Mountain Mama feels the aftermath of her friend's struggle, getting the floods and winds of her own. Together, Mountain Mama and her ocean friend endure the destruction together, both land and sea connected as one. 

                        Dead Zone

Dead zones creep into the ocean's waters when oxygen leaves, leaving spaces in the waters where sea life cannot survive. Climate change continues the path of destruction, fueling algal blooms that steal the air and create these deadly zones. Fish and other life disappear in the waters, death waiting for them. Mountain Mama's river runoff from the farms feed into the suffocation, accidentally sending more distress to her friend. The actions made from the Appalachian communities hurts the bond between the ocean and Mountain Mama. 

                    Ocean Currents

Ocean currents flow across the globe carrying everything from life and storms. This natural flow is corrupted by climate change as it shifts patterns, hurting the balance. Because of climate change, weather become unpredictable and the seasons twist around from normalcy. Mountain Mama can feel her own troubles from this, as the wind and rain patterns become unbalanced and rougher.

                Ocean Acidification

As the ocean decides to take in some extra carbon dioxide, climate change makes sure that her water turns a bit sour as she inhales. The acidity dissolves coral and hurts the colorful life below the tides. Mountain Mama's emissions fly to the sky, unintentionally hurting her ocean friend in the process. The friends learn that what rises from Mountain Mama can be toxic to her long-distance bestie. 

                    Offshore Drilling

Offshore drilling pokes into the ocean's skin, taking oil from her and leaving wounds behind. Climate change loves the burning fuel and sends carbon into the sky, destructing weather and sending waves of warmth to the ocean's temperatures. The drilling beats up the ocean as it leaves oil spills that cause grief and spread toxins among the waters. Mountain Mama feels the weight of her friend, her waters suffering the same fate as humans drill into their skin and dig. 

                        Overfishing

Overfishing steals away the ocean's life, leaving a feeling of loneliness and emptiness behind. Climate change decides to worsen the situation as it hurts the ecosystems and drives out the remaining fish species. Mountain Mama can relate to her friend's grief as her own forests are being stripped away of life and the little creatures that live within being hunted. The pair of friends come to understand that humans will take a strip everything away, without thinking of the consequences.