A “ghost forest” in New Jersey Credit: AP/Stephen B. Morton
PORT REPUBLIC, NEW JERSEY — They’re called “ghost forests” — dead trees along vast swaths of coastline invaded by rising seas, something scientists call one of the most visible markers of climate change.
The process has occurred naturally for thousands of years, but it has accelerated in recent decades as polar ice melts and raises sea levels, scientists say, pushing salt water farther inland and killing trees in what used to be thriving freshwater plains.
Efforts are underway worldwide to determine exactly how quickly the creation of ghost forests is increasing. But scientists agree the startling sight of dead trees in once-healthy areas is an easy-to-grasp example of the consequences of climate change.
“I think ghost forests are the most obvious indicator of climate change anywhere on the Eastern coast of the U.S.,” said Matthew Kirwan, a professor at Virginia Institute of Marine Science who is studying ghost forests in his state and Maryland. “It was dry, usable land 50 years ago; now it’s marshes with dead stumps […]
I understand that the arctic circle area is where climate change is most devastatingly evident. I have read that the average increase in annual measured temps are up around 7 degrees F. That means that the permafrost is melting in many places and the trees and large plants are falling over. It also means that many animals could be having serious problems moving about in their habitats. Would like to have more frequent and in-depth reporting of how that area is coping with climate issue.