The Rise Of East Coast Ghost Forests; 5mm/Yr. Sea Level Rise Can Mean 15 Feet Of Inland Movement

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In Dorchester County, where dead and dying loblolly pines stand forlornly, Dr. Gedan has learned to “read” these forests from the mix of species present. As saltwater moves into the ground, oak and other sensitive hardwoods die first. Loblolly pine, the most salt-tolerant, is often the last tree standing until it, too, is overwhelmed. Then the saltwater marsh plants move in. If you’re lucky, velvety tufts of cordgrass sprout. If not, impenetrable stands of cane-like Phragmites, an invasive species, take over.

One reason the effects of rising seas are so noticeable here is that the land has very little slope. Those five millimeters of sea level, a rise that’s only slightly more than two half-dollar coins stacked, can translate into saltwater pushing 15 feet inland per year, according to Dr. Gedan.

Shoots of sweet gum, a tree with star-shaped leaves and bark like alligator skin, have more tolerance for salt than other hardwoods, such as oak. They can endure for a time as groundwater becomes more saline. But eventually, the sweet gum dies as well.

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Further south in Somerset County, numerous “for sale” signs stand in front of houses along the back roads. Some are abandoned, their yards overgrown by Phragmites. On Deal Island, ditches once dug to drain the land for farming and to help manage flooding from high tides now stand full of stagnant water. Today, in fact, these ditches are part of the threat: Instead of draining water out to sea, they can accelerate the movement of saltwater inland, said Kate Tully, an agroecologist at the University of Maryland. In general, saltwater can seep into the soil before sea level rise becomes obvious in other ways, killing sensitive plants far from the shore. “We call it the invisible flood, because you can’t really see it,” she said.

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/08/climate/ghost-forests.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront