Northeast
The Northeastern region of the United States is a diverse landscape that stretches from the rocky coast of New England to the farmland of Pennsylvania, and includes sandy beaches, mountains, islands, rivers, and the eastern forests which provide the region’s trademark fall colors.
Global warming may already be impacting the Northeast, as evidenced by recent mild winters, earlier springs and later falls, and increasing extreme weather events. Temperatures are expected to continue to increase, as are rainfall and extreme weather events such as ice storms and even droughts. Sea level is rising along much of the coast and will increase in the future, exacerbating the impacts of salt water inundation, storm-surge flooding and shoreline erosion. Storm impacts are also likely to be more severe.
Rising temperatures are already allowing pests to spread through New England forests, and increased outbreaks of invasive species like the hemlock wooly adelgid, gypsy moth, and pear thrip are predicted. Perhaps most dramatically, the entire composition of northern forests may be changing due to global warming: some climate models predict that by the end of the century the brilliant fall colors of maples, birches, and beeches may be replaced by duller oak and hickory forests.
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Species in the region:
