"As Sea Levels Rise, So Do Ghost Forests"

"Saltwater is killing woodlands along the East Coast, sometimes surprisingly far from the sea."

"Up and down the mid-Atlantic coast, sea levels are rising rapidly, creating stands of dead trees — often bleached, sometimes blackened — known as ghost forests.

The water is gaining as much as 5 millimeters per year in some places, well above the global average of 3.1 millimeters, driven by profound environmental shifts that include climate change.

 Increasingly powerful storms, a consequence of a warming world, push seawater inland. More intense dry spells reduce freshwater flowing outward. Adding to the peril, in some places the land is naturally sinking.

All of this allows seawater to claim new territory, killing trees from the roots up."

Moises Velasquez-Manoff reports for the New York Times with photos by Gabriella Demczuk October 8, 2019.