‘Ghost forests’ are even more widespread than we thought | How scientists recently mapped millions of dead trees along the Atlantic coastline, and what it tells us about the changing climate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/01/30/ghost-forest-dead-trees-maps/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzY5NzQ5MjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzcxMTMxNTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3Njk3NDkyMDAsImp0aSI6ImQ4OTdjMTViLTgwMGMtNGI3OC1iNTJhLTU5YzBmYmNhN2FkYiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9jbGltYXRlLWVudmlyb25tZW50LzIwMjYvMDEvMzAvZ2hvc3QtZm9yZXN0LWRlYWQtdHJlZXMtbWFwcy8ifQ.Q1URyNMKcRNmBL5mAvToZ8gzAfiFJtLOrSZJnImJmpo

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The paper is here

36 points · 2 comments · view on lemmy.world

2 Comments

IndignantIguana@piefed.social · 4 pts · 196d (1 reply)

Short version, a lot of forests near oceans are dying because of rising sea levels. Intrusion of saltwater is the biggest reason for the dying trees, though "drought, pests, and storms" also contribute.

GreeNRG@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 196d

Would I be right in thinking that the forests might 'retreat' further in land as the near-coastal conditions they lived in previously are moved there? Probably slower than the ocean rise, but is there any trend in this direction.