A GHOST FOREST IN PORT REPUBLIC NEARATLANTIC CITY,

IMPACT OF A RISING SEA AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES.

AS PART OF OUR ONGOING SERIES PERIL IN PROMISE, THE

CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

Reporter: WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT OVER HERE?

SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ANCIENT GHOST FOREST.

Reporter: WE MET DR.

KEN ABEL A PROFESSOR AT RUTGERS MARINE SCIENCE AT THIS

LOCATION SO HE COULD SHOW US WHAT HAPPENS TO ATLANTIC WHITE

CEDAR TREES WHEN EXPOSED TO SALT WATER.

THIS IS THE RESULT.

AS SEA LEVEL ROSE, THEY WERE KILLED AND NOW THIS IS THEIR

STATE.

SO IF YOU LOOK --

Reporter: LOOKING FOR THE DIFFERENCE IN --

SEE THE STUMPS OUT HERE?

Reporter: TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS GHOST FOREST WE

WALKED THROUGH THE MARSH TO SEE THE TREES OR WHAT'S LEFT OF

THEM.

THE PROFESSOR EXPLAIN THEY HAVE TO GROW IN FRESH WATER, BUT

WHAT WALKING TOWARDS IS SALT WATER.

HE SAYS THAT'S THE CLEAR INDICATION THIS WATER WASN'T THERE

BEFORE BUT DUE TO SEA LEVEL RISING, IT IS HERE NOW.

AND HE SAYS IT'S KILLING MORE AND MORE TREES.

TREES THAT WERE HERE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

THOSE TREES HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE BEFORE COLUMBUS, SINCE

SUPERSTORM SANDY, WE HAVE A LOT MORE GHOST FORESTS COVERING

ACRES AND ACRES IN THIS WATERSHED THAN WE DID BEFORE.

AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE STORM BUT IT'S ALSO BECAUSE YOU'RE

ADDING A STORM ON TOP OF SEA LEVEL RISE.

Reporter: THE MORE WE WALKED AROUND, THE MORE DEAD TREES

WE SAW.

THIS RIGHT HERE, THIS IS A VERY CLEAR EXAMPLE OF ONE OF

THESE DEAD TREES, BUT AT LOW TIDE THE PROFESSOR WAS SAYING

YOU SEE HUNDREDS OF THESE OVER HERE, WHICH IS AN INDICATION

THAT THIS IS A GHOST FOREST.

IF YOU PAN OUT THERE, YOU CAN SEE --

Reporter: ALL THE LOGS STICKING OUT.

BUT THOSE STICKING OUT OF THE MARSH AND THOSE STICKING

OUT OF THE WATER.

Reporter: HE SAYS SEA LEVEL HAS BEEN RISING FOR THOUSANDS

OF YEARS.

THE PROBLEM IS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, IT'S BEEN

ACCELERATING AND THAT'S WHY WE SEE THESE GHOST FORESTS

APPEARING MORE FREQUENTLY.

RESEARCH HE'S WORKING ON NOW IS HELPING TO TRACE THE TIME

LINE TO HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE WE GO FROM HERE.

AS AN EXAMPLE, HE TOLD US THE AREA THAT WE ARE WALKING IN

GETS ON AVERAGE ABOUT TWO TO 3 FEET HIGH EVERY DAY, BUT BY

2050, SO OVER 30 YEARS FROM NOW, YOU MIGHT POTENTIALLY ADD A

FOOT TO THAT, WITH A STORM WATER LEVELS GO EVEN HIGHER.

THERE ARE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU OWN A

HOME ON THE JERSEY SHORE AND IT GETS FLOODED MORE AND MORE

FREQUENTLY, AT SOME POINT, LIKE HAS HAPPENED SINCE SANDY,

PEOPLE WILL BUILD A HOUSE HIGHER, IT'S GOING TO COST THEM

MONEY, BUT THEY WILL BUILD A HOUSE HIGHER OR MAYBE THEY

WON'T BE ABLE TO GET FLOOD INSURANCE SO THERE'S GOING TO BE

MORE MARSH BUT LESS FOREST.

SO WE DON'T KNOW, WE DON'T UNEQUIVOCALLY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT

THE IMPACTS ARE GOING TO BE AND THAT'S THE SORT OF

DISCONCERTING THING.

Reporter: WHAT WE DO KNOW, HE SAYS, IS THE TREES TELL THE

STORY OF SEA LEVEL RISING.

AS WE MADE OUR WAY OUT OF THE MARSH, JUST ACROSS THE STREET

WE WERE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE PROFESSOR CALLS A RECENT GHOST

FOREST, MEANING THE TREES ARE DEAD BUT STILL STANDING.

THEN A SHORT DRIVE AWAY HE TOOK US HERE TO A LIVING FOREST.

SO IN ONE MORNING YOU'RE SEEING THREE DIFFERENT STAGES, THE

ANCIENT GHOST FOREST, THE RECENT GHOST FOREST AND THE

LIVING.

SO THIS IS ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR BUT RIGHT IN HERE, THAT'S

A STAND OF ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR.

Reporter: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SKEPTICS WHO THINK CLIMATE

CHANGE IS FAKE AND, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T EXIST?

THERE ARE CLEARLY DENIERS OUT THERE AND EVERYBODY IS

ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINIONS BUT THEY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO

THEIR OWN FACTS AND THESE ARE REAL FACTS.

Reporter: IN PORT REPUBLIC, LEIA MISHKIN, NJTV NEWS.