Over half of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coast. Coastlines define us, contain us, and connect us to the outside world. The current trend of migration to the coast is forecast to increase, just as climate change is predicted to increase the impact of storm activity and rising sea levels. The effects of this combination on coastal regions and infrastructure over the entire world are of enormous concern, and the results will be expensive at best and possibly catastrophic. Comprising less than 10% of the United States’ land area, coastal counties house 39% of the US population and are responsible for 45% of its GDP. With this and the impending climate-induced changes in mind, J Henry Fair has undertaken an ambitious portrait of the coasts of the USA. The first chapter of the project entailed a return to his hometown of Charleston and the South Carolina shoreline, with its unique barrier islands, marshes, maritime forests, and intricate estuarine systems, in order to capture the beauty and frailty of this land.