Large patches of trees are dying simultaneously and saplings aren’t growing to take their place.
These ghost forests are then often replaced with more salt-tolerant shrubs and grasses
Trekking out to my research sites near North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, I slog through knee-deep water on a section of trail that is completely submerged. Permanent flooding has become commonplace on this low-lying peninsula, nestled behind North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The trees growing in the water are small and stunted. Many are dead.
Throughout coastal North Carolina, evidence of forest die-off is everywhere. Nearly every roadside ditch I pass while driving around the region is lined with dead or dying trees.
Sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic coast, creating ghost forests that are visible from space
nancyonnorwalk.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nancyonnorwalk.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
April 15, 2021
Sea level rise is killing trees along the U.S. east coast, creating ‘ghost forests’ that are visible from space.
Ghost forest panorama in coastal North Carolina. Image via Emily Ury/ The Conversation
Trekking out to my research sites near North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, I slog through knee-deep water on a section of trail that is completely submerged. Permanent flooding has become commonplace on this low-lying peninsula, nestled behind North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The trees growing in the water are small and stunted. Many are dead.
Throughout coastal North Carolina, evidence of forest die-off is everywhere. Nearly every roadside ditch I pass while driving around the region is lined with dead or dying trees.
Permanent flooding has become commonplace on this low-lying peninsula, nestled behind North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The trees growing in the water are small and stunted. Many are dead.
Throughout coastal North Carolina, evidence of forest die-off is everywhere. Nearly every roadside ditch I pass while driving around the region is lined with dead or dying trees.
As an ecologist studying wetland response to sea level rise, I know this flooding is evidence that climate change is altering landscapes along the Atlantic coast. It’s emblematic of environmental changes that also threaten wildlife, ecosystems, and local farms and forestry businesses.
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.