CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It may sound like a Halloween attraction, but so-called "ghost forests" don't need paranormal activity to be terrifying.
Scientists say North Carolina's coastal communities are turning gray thanks to rising sea levels. Climate change is destroying wetlands along the North Carolina coast.
Let's connect the dots.
Once healthy wetlands now have miles of gray and barren trees. So what's happening? Frequent flooding caused by rising global temperatures is killing plants, experts say.
The salt in ocean water is slowly creeping into trees and destroying the once-thriving wetlands. Now the rising sea level is causing forests to transition into marsh ecosystems.
Scientists call them ghost forests. The phenomenon isn't new, but researchers say its spread is alarming. And the transition is happening faster than ever before.
There are big impacts on what this means for the environment, too. Researchers say loads of carbon are stored in these trees, but they're all getting destroyed. This hurts everything from plant life to the oxygen we breathe.
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