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Ghosts of the Coast

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Document the formation of ghost forests.

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Citizen ScienceOcean Water MarineEducationEcology & Environmentsurvey123maritime forestshorelinedead treesglobal warminglow elevationstormkeryn gedansalt tolerantfloodingmid atlanticsaltwaterthe george washington universitysalt water intrusiontidestorymapdisturbancedelmarva peninsuladying treesrising seasmullica river estuarystumpgeologynorth carolinasouth carolinaghosts of the coastgeographyswampecologychanging landscapenew yorkcordgrassdroughtsalinegedan labgroundwatersalt watersalt stressmarylanddelaware baymarshwildfiresvirginiapinevirginia coast reserveclimate changesalt tolerant plantssaltblue crabcattus islandspartina patenscedarland conversionsawgrasscoastaltree deathnew jerseyestuarygeorgiasomerset countydying forestghost forestsapdelawarecoastal educationkilling treesregenerationeast coastphragmiteswoodbleached treesfloodblack needle rushsweet gummarinesea level risetidal inundationchanging shorelineseawatertree stumpforestwetlandstributariesriverbankmarsh migrationhurricanesaltwater marshfloridablackwater national refugesaltwater marshesprime hook national wildlife refugesoilchesapeake baycoastal marine ecologyeastern shorecoastal ecology
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The formation of ghost forests in response to sea level rise, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion is a striking visual indicator of climate change. Ghost forests are characterized by lingering stands of dead trees that were recently killed by salt stress. Ghost forests can form in any type of forest, but the formation of ghost forests in the maritime forests of the Mid-Atlantic sea level rise hotspot has been rapid and conspicuous.

We are engaging citizen scientists to help document the formation of ghost forests at a larger scale. The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness about the pace of change in coastal landscapes, while also collecting data that can inform ghost forest research.

Help us document ghost forest formation! Your recorded observations will populate a public collaborative ghost forest map as part of a larger ghost forest website.

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Minimum Age: 13

Languages: English

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