Tourists and Washington D.C. residents visit the famed Tidal Basin as cherry blossom trees reach an early peak bloom, with some trees having their last season ahead of a rehabilitation project. “Warming temperatures lead to earlier and earlier peak bloom (…) it is a real world example of how climate change is affecting the nation's capital,” explains Mike Litterst, Communications Chief for the National Mall and Memorial Parks in the National Park Service (NPS). Later this Spring, the NPS will remove 140 cherry blossom trees from the city’s landmark as part of a seawall repair project to revive the areas eroded by rising sea-levels. “There are almost no cherry trees around this corner of the Tidal Basin. They've all died over the years and we can't replace them until we fix the underlying cause of their demise,” the spokesperson adds. The repair work is expected to last three years. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES