By Rachel Ramirez, CNN
"All trees can be affected by climate change It's possible, it could be dead from a drought, an insect attack or a fungus, but it's certainly weakening, "Dickman, a forest ecologist at the National Parks Authority, told CNN. "Now, a big change is happening. It's right in front of us."
Scientists and officials say it shows the dramatic changes that are taking place in the country's most valuable parks. And unless the Earth reduces fossil fuel emissions, scientists say that the climate crisis will dramatically change the landscape, cultural locations and ecosystems of the park, making it inaccessible to humans and inhabiting other species. I believe there is a possibility.
What happened in Yellowstone is also a classic example of an emergency disaster response failure and a converging climate crisis, said Mercy Rockman, a former climate change adaptation coordinator at Park Services.
"When I heard that they were evacuating all visitors from Yellowstone, I said," What the hell, evacuating all visitors is our climate change. It wasn't part of the scenario, "Rockman told CNN. "When I see what my ex-Yellowstone colleague is doing right now, I'm just worried about them."
The park's response to climate change is "how everything is right now." Including "Do you want to evacuate people from the park?" Is just a punch that we don't think we were fully embracing when we started the climate program. "She said.
As more and more events fuel climate change, CNN talks with park service officials and scientists about the climate crisis as the country's most beloved national treasure ecosystem. We investigated how to change the landscape.
Yosemite National Park
"People come to Yosemite because there are some of the largest trees on the planet," Dickman said. "But the whole experience at Yosemite is starting to change. We just see the tree line lift in a strange way."
As the average temperature rises, the trees The altitude of the place where the tree grows rises. According to predictive models, this part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains can look like mountains around Los Angeles, according to Dickman, and trees can grow at higher altitudes due to higher temperatures. According to the
Dickman told CNN 10 years ago that he was concerned about various threats, and the park responded to floods from powerful storms from the Pacific Ocean and did not respond to dangerous wildfires. I pointed out that.
"For our preparation now, it's really around the fire and puts the fire back to the ground in a good way to prevent some of the fire effects caused by these climates and fuels. Probably, "he said.
Glacier National Park
“If you want to see the glaciers, go to Glacier National Park, Montana,” says Basinger. Next 10 or 2 years. They continue to disappear.
{Flood at 75} @YellowstoneNPSDirect your journey to the glacier.
Please note that there is also a flood. Also, read about the vehicle reservation system before you arrive.
Video Description: A short clip zooms in on the water cascade. pic. twitter. com / ZhQ9hfN84I
— Glacier National Park (@GlacierNPS)June 16, 2022
Melting glaciers also rise in sea level Is an important cause of. Caitlin Florentine, a research physicist at the United States Geological Survey who studies glaciers in the United States, said glaciers in Glacier National Park are already quite small. But when taken with other glaciers around the world in a warming climate, they are sufficient to cause a significant sea level rise around the Earth.
"The snowmelt from these glaciers affects very high streams in alpine environments," Florence told CNN, "the presence or absence of glacier snowmelt is east of the park. Rivers that supply water to the agricultural community. ”
Given the rate at which climate change is accelerating, researchers say the timing of losses depends largely on the amount of fossil fuels that will burn in the future. I am.
Sequoia National Park
In September 2021, park biologists wrapped General Sherman's tree base (the largest living tree on the planet) in protective foil as the flames of the KNP complex approached. General Sherman is estimated to be between 2,200 and 2,700 years old and has grown to 275 feet.
The diameter of the tree is over 36 feet at its root, about the same width as the average six cars.
Park scientists have already seen the "major impact" of climate change, said Christie Brigham, Head of Resource Management and Science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Extreme mountain fires, mainly in the form of hotter and drier droughts and how they fuel.
"The recent wildfire burned down the historic director's building," Brigham told CNN. "Therefore, such effects have already occurred in many national parks and will continue."
Brigham said that the climate crisis "is our daily task of managing national parks." Has already changed. "
In addition to maintaining public facilities and ensuring the safety of endangered species, park employees who are also affected by wildfires are cleaning up sidewalks and working on new emergency response systems. She said she was preparing. For events such as fire risk.
"People and all other staff working in these places like me are serious about keeping a great environment for visitors to enjoy in these places and we see changes. "Brigham said. "I came to Sequoia National Park from another park in 2015, and we had already seen a lot of dead trees from the hotter drought, which was only exacerbated by the wildfire."
A national park like Sequoia National Park is "a place to share American values from the perspective of our heritage," she added. "This is where we can connect, see the impacts and make some choices to mitigate those impacts in the future."
Grand Canyon National Park
The climate crisis is decisively changing the ecosystem, species habitat, and hydrology of Arizona Park, Nebel told CNN.
"Snow melts and evaporates about a month earlier than it was a century ago, which has a significant impact on the water level of the [Grand Canyon groundwater] aquifer," Nebel said. I am. "We are concerned about how it affects our drinking water source, the fountain, and most of the biodiversity around the fountain."
Vasey's Paradise Spring Has consistently gone from reliable to dry.
Due to the hotter and drier climate and aging infrastructure, Nebel said the park's water source was groundwater to surface, which had long relied on one of the Grand Canyon's springs. He said he was changing to a water supply. Other places.
"When Lake Powell's water level drops, these hot-water invaders, usually near the surface of the water, pass through dams into the Grand Canyon National Park, threatening native fishing," he said. Stated. "Our fishermen have really worked hard to get rid of these native fish like invading trout from the breeding streams."
Nebel has only been working for a few days. We admit most visitors who aren't there. The effects of climate change in the park are largely unnoticed. Not for the park researchers and staff who live with them every day.
"For most of us working in the Grand Canyon, we see these crises, we see danger, we see damage," Nebel said, "it will get worse. ".
Joshua Tree National Park
"If you go back to where the early scientists at the University of California, Berkeley visited, and investigate, the number of birds will be about half. It's very warm and dry. That's why, "Bysanger told CNN. "What we see is all sorts of changes in the community. In the case of birds, it collapses. For park managers, the effects of climate change are what they can actually do to reverse this. There are limits. ”
Jane Rogers, Head of Science and Resource Management at Joshua Tree National Park, said, "It's hard to get to allow land managers to inform and make decisions. I'm fortunate to have long-term data. " She said such comprehensive data would allow park managers to act proactively rather than react to extreme weather and drought.
"We are considering an overall portfolio of things we can do to protect these areas," Rogers told CNN. “Not only will we continue to collect data, but we will also manage fuel and create fuel breaks to protect these areas and increase the likelihood that firefighters will stop the fire. Be prepared in advance as much as possible. ""
Everglades National Park
Opposition at the eastern end of the country as the western US National Park continues to suffer from drought. Is shaped.
National Park Service researchers have observed water level rises in some inland freshwater areas of the Everglades over the last 50 years, at a pace comparable to the pace of sea rise in the region.
But scientists warn that the barrier will not exist for much longer. Due to the dramatic changes seen in US national parks, Dickman said climate-friendly choices should be made to help people preserve the landscape for future generations.
"American history is depicted [in these parks]. It protects some of the finest landscapes on the planet, from the good to the bad of our history." Dickman said. "I've traveled the globe, but it's harder to get to more beautiful places than American national parks, and the next generation has the ability to experience these places like us."