PNNL: PNNL Leads Coastal Study to Help Prep for Wildfires, Floods and Climate Change

Consider an eerie photograph of a forlorn ghost forest in a marsh where a thriving woodland once stood.

Recall dramatic footage from earlier this year of people in western Washington trapped in their homes as floodwaters raged through once-tranquil neighborhoods.

These jarring images highlight the importance of understanding what happens in nature’s transition zones—areas that can be dry land at times and under water at other times.

The two examples also illustrate how these changes occur over different time scales: decades in some cases, days in others.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are leading a multi-institution collaboration focused on better understanding the impact that flood events, rising tides and changes in sea levels can have on trees, plants, soil and water.