The North Atlantic coast will be profoundly altered by
climate change over the next century.
climate change over the next century.
Shifting Coastlines
The Atlantic Coast is a naturally dynamic environment. The forces of wind and wave continuously reshape our coastlines. Sediments erode and accrue; marshlands rise out of the detritus of former growth. But the changes that are transpiring today are proceeding at an unprecedented rate due to the effects of climate change.
Climate change is here and accelerating
Climate is also inherently variable but accelerated change is occuring due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere. The changes we see today are larger and faster than have occurred in the previous 800,000 years. The effects of accelerated climate change will have considerable impact on the natural and cultural resources of our National Parks.
Conditions of the past are no longer the standard for the future
Climate change has become the underpinning consideration to all other conservation measures including habitat preservation, pollution reduction, and invasive species control. Conservation decisions must now be made within the context of accelerating climate change. The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program has responded to the challenges of climate change by implementing new measures to keep track of these effects. With more information, better decisions can be made to prepare our National Parks to withstand the stresses of climate change.