All along the mid-Atlantic coast, rising sea levels are creating a scene straight out of a horror movie. Climate change is increasingly threatening our trees, with invading seawater quickly outstripping the fresh water that forests rely on to survive. What’s left behind is a vacant woodland haunted by dead, decaying timber and bleached and blackened skeleton trees.
In Maryland, Dorchester County, splintering loblolly pines protrude from the ground, dead and wilting. In Chesapeake Bay, as saltwater moves inland, hardwoods begin to decay. Pines soon follow, standing sorrowful amongst a sea of desolation. Soon, marshland forms, waiting to suffer the same fate.
These are known as ghost forests.
What are ghost forests?
A ghost forest can be succinctly defined as the watery remains of what was once a thriving forest. Typical features include protruding dead trees, flooded areas and a general lack of greenery.
A striking indicator
Much like a melting glacier, ghost forests are a real and visual representation of the effects of climate change. Whereas dwindling glaciers represent the melting of our ice caps, ghosts…
