Coffee & Sugar 

by Dana Plesa

Melting of the icebergs is a serious consequence of global warming. Because of differences in the chemical composition of ice and seawater, icebergs melting change the salinity of seawater. This environmental phenomenon was the inspiration for the “Coffee and Sugar” collection.

I wanted to show, in a micro scale, the effect of melting of a crystalline structure on the surrounding environment. Crystalized sugar was obtained from saturated solution of sugar and coffee. When these crystals melt in water, the coffee is released and a trail is formed. The coffee fluoresces under UV light (did you know that?)

The changes in the microenvironment surrounding the sugar crystals are a micro-reflection of the changes occurring around a melting iceberg. Imagine the impact! Melting icebergs release fresh water into the salty ocean waters and immediately decrease the seawater’s salinity. Too much of this fresh water released into the oceans will irreversibly impact the oceans ecosystem and will cause ocean levels to rise.