Pictures of spooky “ghost forests” in North Carolina have been snapped from space, and a comparison of NASA images show how the bald cypress forests are being killed off.

In 2024, the forests along the coastline of North Carolina’s Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula have grown increasingly brown, compared to the verdant green of the same region in 2005.

Ghost forests are coastal woodlands where trees have died due to rising sea levels, leading to saltwater intrusion and erosion. The salty water of the sea contaminates the groundwater that these forests rely on, affecting the soil chemistry and tree health, slowly killing the forests near the coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Eventually, the dead trees fall over and decompose, but while they’re still standing, they appear eerily zombielike against the healthy surrounding landscape.

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“The closer a forest is to sea level, the greater the risk of tree death and the detection of ghost forests,” Xi Yang, an environmental scientist at the University of Virginia told NASA Earth Observatory.

These ghost forests are popping up around North Carolina and the East Coast, affecting a vast number of tree species from cypress to pines. The area affected by these dying trees is increasing rapidly, with a 2021 paper finding that 11 percent of forested land in North Carolina’s largest coastal wildlife refuge became ghost forest between 1985 and 2019.

“The formation of this ghost forest transition state peaked prominently between 2011 and 2012, following Hurricane Irene and a 5-year drought, with 4,500 ± 990 hectares of ghost forest forming during that year alone,” researchers wrote in the 2021 paper, published in the journal Ecological Applications.

This increase in ghost forest coverage is due to increasing sea levels worldwide, caused by spiking global temperatures and melting polar ice caps. Along the U.S. East Coast in particular, sea level rise appears to be being exacerbated by land subsidence, with North Carolina’s sea level rising three times faster than the worldwide average, at between 3 mm and 4 mm per year.

“The sinking on the East Coast is driven by several factors from natural to anthropogenic processes. The major natural processes are glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and natural sediment compaction. The major anthropogenic factor is fluid withdrawal from the ground. These factors contribute to the sinking of the coast,” Leonard Ohenhen, previously a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech, told Newsweek.

Forests along the coast serve as natural buffers, protecting inland areas from storm surges and erosion, meaning that their loss increases the vulnerability of coastal communities. Additionally, the increase in ghost forests in the bald cypress forests of North Carolina is killing off some of the oldest living trees in the eastern U.S.

“You can also see the effects of climate change collide with human development in Landsat images like this,” Duke University ecologist Emily Bernhardt told NASA Earth Observatory.

“Marshes shift locations over time as sea levels rise, but there’s nowhere for cypress forests to go. They’re already hemmed in by farmland or other development, so these iconic wetlands are getting squeezed and dying off in mass mortality events instead.”

References

Ury, E. A., Yang, X., Wright, J. P., & Bernhardt, E. S. (2021). Rapid deforestation of a coastal landscape driven by sea‐level rise and extreme events. Ecological Applications, 31(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2339

The Florida State Seminoles will face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday at 3:30 ET on ACC Network. FSU will look to bounce back after its first loss to the rival Miami Hurricanes in four years.

READ MORE: Blue-Chip Wide Receiver Decommits From Florida State Following 1-7 Start

North Carolina comes into this game with a 4-4 record. Their offense, led by quarterback Jacolby Criswell and running back Omarion Hampton, failed to score 30 points only twice through eight games. Their defense has had its ups and downs, though. The Tar Heels only gave up 14 to a scrappy Virginia team on the road last week (who put up 31 at Clemson two weeks ago) but gave 70 at home to James Madison in late September.

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown began his illustrious coaching career as a student wide receiver coach for Florida State. He won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns in 2005 and is currently serving his second stint as the Tar Heels head coach. From 1988 to 1997 and from 2019 until the present, Brown has never defeated his alma mater. With this game in Tallahassee as well, the 4-4 Tar Heels could end Brown’s 0-8 record against the Garnet and Gold.

Many fans will be glued to their screens or making the trip to the Sunshine State’s capitol this weekend to see their Seminoles in action, but if you’re looking for the pivotal matchups – the game within the game on Saturday – NoleGameday has you covered.

Against Miami last week, the ’Noles gave up 230 yards on the ground on 40 attempts, good for 5.8 yards per rush. Hampton, who has already eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing on the season, averages 5.6 yards a pop. Florida State picked its poison against the Hurricanes and held Heisman frontrunner QB Cam Ward to 208 yards through the air, the first time he’s failed to reach 300 yards on the season. This strategy kept the game within two scores more than halfway through the fourth quarter, but the ’Canes dominated the time of possession and limited the Seminoles to eight possessions the entire contest.

North Carolina, however, has maintained a top-40 passing attack despite Texas A&M transfer QB Max Johnson being out for the season with a broken leg. Jacolby Criswell has come in and averaged a 57th-best 7.65 yards per attempt. Cam Ward is 6th-best at 9.77 yards per attempt.

While Criswell’s passing ability should not be overlooked, the Florida State defense will be able to have more freedom in their game plan against the Tar Heels. FSU has a top-40 pass defense and fared well in man coverage through the air last week. With a threat like UNC’s Hampton on the ground, the Seminoles could get away with attributing more bodies to the run.

Nonetheless, they will still need to execute.

Of the eight opponents that Florida State has played this season, UNC has the second-worst rushing defense (65th), only better than Duke (88th).

When facing the Blue Devils, the Seminoles recorded 162 yards on the ground and had a chance to tie the game at the end despite losing the turnover battle by four (including three turnovers on three straight offensive plays).

If Florida State can tie or even possibly win the turnover margin on Saturday, the ’Noles could find themselves back in the win column for the second time this season.

Redshirt freshman FSU QB Brock Glenn is atop of the depth chart for the fifth straight week, but true freshman QB Luke Kromenhoek has received significant playing time in the last two games.

There’s a saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. However, what can’t be denied is that the Tar Heels will have to prepare for two quarterbacks during their preparation this week. Both have similar skill sets, but Kromenhoek could be more prone to running the ball due to play calls with limited reads.

How UNC looks if Kromenhoek enters the game (and it’s likely he does) is certainly a key matchup for Saturday’s contest.

READ MORE: Luke Kromenhoek’s Legs Spark Florida State’s First Touchdown Drive Against Miami

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Football throughout the 2024 Season

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North Carolina high school football is in full swing and so are our power rankings.

The No. 1 team in the Tar Heel State remains undefeated Weddington followed by the Grimsley, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee and then Providence Day.

Here’s the complete breakdown of North Carolina’s elite high school football teams, heading into Week 11 of the 2024 season, as we see it.

The Warriors had another dominant performance last week to improve to 8-0 on the season when they rolled to a 33-7 win over Cuthbertson.

There’s not many running backs in the Tar Heel State playing better than Mitchell Summers right now. The tailback has rushed for 1,091 yards and has scored an eye popping 27 touchdowns.

There’s honestly an argument to be had that this Rabun Gap-Nacoochee club could be the best team right now in North Carolina. The Eagles only two losses have come to Hun (New Jersey) and top-ranked Baylor out of Tennessee.

Providence Day’s only two losses this season have come up against top ranked Weddington and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. Not bad losses if you ask us.

Not many signal callers can boast the kind of stat line Jackson Byrd has through nine games. The senior has completed 163-of-259 passes for 2,579 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The Rams looked impressive in last week’s 49-0 thrashing of Wake Forest. Now they’ll prepare for the regular season finale with Heritage.

Ralph Trey Blakeney has been a big reason why the Huskies are playing well, with the senior throwing for 1,867 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Another quarterback that’s been playing really well in North Carolina is Bryce Baker, who has thrown for 2,392 yards and 28 touchdowns to just two picks.

The Mavericks this season had totaled three shutout victories. Only losses have come to Grayson (Georgia) and Hough.

Quarterback Gannon Jones has been a steady cog in the Crusaders’ success this season, throwing for over 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns.

The Panthers’ defense has really been getting after opposing quarterbacks, racking up 68.5 sacks through nine games. Don’t forget about the 195 tackles that have for a loss.

Not many teams have run the ball as effectively as the Falcons this season. Seventy-First has totaled 3,016 yards and 39 touchdowns on the ground so far.

Not many opposing teams are able to put it altogther against Hickory’s stingy defense, which has only allowed 96 points and recorded three shutouts.

The Vikings started off the season with a 35-32 loss to Cleveland and all they’ve done since then is continue to win eight straight games.

Jaylen Hewitt is one of the leaders in the state in the passing, with 3,174 yards and 31 touchdowns. Pretty solid numbers.

Another week and another big victory for the Patriots as they cruised to a 44-0 win over Rocky River.

After a gritty Week 1 victory over T.C. Roberson, the Pioneers have followed it up in the several weeks with several dominant wins and of course, remaining undefeated.

There’s no ‘blues’ over at Asheville School as they’ve been playing lights out to start the season. The Blues has out-scored opponents 202-65 through five games.

Hard to fault the Spartans too much when it comes to the losses they’ve had so far this season. Only two losses have come against Grimsley and East Forsyth.

Hard to drop a team too far after suffering a 24-9 losses to Providence Day and a talented Crest squad. Still hanging in the Top 25 this week.

West Forsyth took care of business last week in a 56-20 rout of R.C. Reynolds. Now they have the big tilt this week against East Forsyth.

The Bulldogs through the first nine games has out-scored opponents 413-45. Not too shabby when it comes to the defensive side of things.

Chargers’ running back Aiden Carson has played really this season, despite the impact the team has taken from Hurricane Helene. Carson leads the team with over 700 yards rushing.

The Knights only three losses on the season have come against Independence, Providence Day and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, all teams ranked ahead of Charlotte Christian.

Taking the final spot is the Nighthawks, who are comingoff a 49-14 rout of Western Guilford.

Follow SBLive North Carolina throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivenc