6 national parks to visit while you can still
Beautiful aspects of these parks could disappear during this century
Regarding destinations, it is difficult to beat the national parks, which houses some of the mostBeautiful breathtaking landscapes. But with more than 400 of your choice, it can be difficult to decide where to start. If you find it difficult to decide, there are in fact a few American national parks which, according to experts, should have a higher priority because they are threatened by the harmful effects of climate change.
Forest fires with droughts to floods, scientists warn that the climate crisis could have serious ramifications in American geography - and in particular our most precious national parks.Charles Van Rees, PHD,Conservation of conservation, Naturalist and founder of the Gulo in Nature blog, notes that climate change affects different ecosystems in different ways, but an "aggressive climate action" is necessary to fight against the problem, and what humans are able to do is just a solution in the short term for a long -term problem.
According to Van Rees, the National Park Service (NPS), as well as the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, are focused on the response to climate change thanks to various programs and initiatives, including fire fighting efforts for areas affected by forest fires, strategies to mitigate the spread of invasive species, and the name aptly namedClimate change response program. The NPS also provides advice and tips for visitors toreduce their carbon footprints, as part of a program entitled "Do your part!"
According to Van Rees, "things will get worse before they improve" in terms of climate change, which means that you may want to plan your trip to some parks as soon as possible. Read the rest to find out which parks are most in danger of being modified by climate change, and why you should visit them when you can always discover everything they have to offer.
Read this then:The last 5 national parks that you should add to your list of buckets.
1 Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is a paradise for hikers and explorers, located in the center-west of the state of Washington. This park is famous for its views, including glaciers, meadows and lakes, but what you may not realize is that it is seriously threatened by climate change, namely its subalpine environments and Alpins. And the park's namesake is particularly at risk.
"This infamous sleeping volcano with white ceiling is made up of approximately 25 major glaciers, however, the total volume of ice ice has decreased by almost 27% since the creation of the park in 1899".Carly Brown, owner andAuthor of the Travel Blog Look for Serenity, LLC, saysBetter life. "Although a certain glacial fusion is typical and crucial to maintain the flourishing ecosystem of the park, the historically high temperatures today can lead to more frequent natural disasters, such as avalanches, rock slides and floods serious. "
All these problems could make travel in the park potentially dangerous for visitors, says Brown. On a less urgent note, one of the most beautiful and attractive attractions in the park, the wild flowers of spring on Mont RainierSubalpine meadows, can also be at risk, reported the University of Washington News. The floral display attracts more than a million visitors to the park each year, but a recent study at the university has revealed that warmer temperatures melt the snow in these meadows earlier and leading to a season of wild flowers shorter.
2 Joshua Tree National Park
Another national park commonly recommended by expertsBetter life is Joshua Tree National Park in California. In this picturesque park,animal species- as well as the physical joshua - are threatened by the evolution of temperatures.
"In desert areas like Joshua Tree National Park, where many plants and animals are specially adapted to live to the extreme of what is possible for heat and lasting drought, climate change pushes fauna on the Board, "explains Van Rees. "The intensification of droughts could eliminate the beautiful and bizarre joshua trees for which the park was initially appointed during the current century."
Many travelers are looking for Joshua Tree specifically to see these unique trees,Sam Opp,,Full time travel blogger At Find Love & Travel, underlines, but forest fires remain a terrible threat to the park as a whole. "The Dome 2020 fire burned about 1.3 million Joshua," said the OPP. "By 2099, some researchers suggest that if climate change continues at this rate, 80 to 90% of the appropriate habitat can be lost."
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3 Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park has made the headlines for climatic events recently, more recentlymassive flood caused by extreme temperatures on June 14.reached record heights, coming at 11.5 feet, theBozeman Daily Chroniclereported. Two to three inches of rain struck, followed by temperatures that melted 5.5 inches of snow. More than 10,000 visitors to the park were evacuated as a result of the flood, which has permanently changed the park by wiping the bridges and roads, reported the Associated Press.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
"If this year was an indication of the future of this national park, you may want to put it higher on your list of buckets," said OPP, noting that certain roads and entrances to the park remain closed.
Warm temperatures at higher altitudes threaten not only the landscape, but also the native species of Yellowstone, underlines Van Rees.
This "also allows harmful invasive species to spread higher in elevation, to kill beautiful important trees such as white pines and lodge pines", he explains.
4 Glaciers National Park
The threat to the Glaciers National Park in Montana may seem obvious, but that does not make the situation less disastrous. According to Van Rees, glaciers have been shrinking for decades following warmer temperatures, and some have already disappeared in the 1990s and early 2000s. Not only does it remove a breathtaking view, but melted glaciers are annoying for The "downstream ecosystems," he explains, and the threat is palpable in the Glaciers National Park.
"Among the continental national parks, none has been more visibly affected than the Glacier National Park", "Adam Marland,,Travel photographer and writer Because we dream of traveling, says. "What would finally become the Glaciers National Park contained about 80 glaciers at its peak in the 1850s, but this number is now at 25 or less. What is worse, each glacier in the park has decreased in recent years, some up to 80%. "
Marland points out that forest fires have also been a threat to glaciers and other parks, but fires are now larger and cause "unprecedented damage". "What has long been announced as one of the country's best national parks is to disappear quickly," he said. "If there is a park to mix at the top of your list of buckets, the Glacier National Park is this one."
5 Everglades National Park
On the east coast of the United States, at the bottom of the southern Florida, is the Everglades National Park. The name could evoke images of alligators and swamps, but this national park has fascinating and unique species on 1.5 million acres, which are endangered by the increase in sea level.
Similar to the Acadia National Park - which also faces imminent misfortunes linked to the climate - Everglades is "fairly close to sea level" and "will soon be flooded, leading to a permanent loss of important ecosystems and beautiful sites of visit and leisure, "said Van ReesBetter life.
"In the Everglades, most species are only suitable for freshwater environments," he said. "The increase in seas could actually grow salt water in groundwater, which would make these species disappear."
The park literally disappears, say the researchers (via CNN), and the wetlands areHalf of their original size. If you plan to walk by aerial boat through the Everglades, plan your trip for a not too distant future.
Read this then:The 8 best American national parks for people over 65, say the experts.
6 Yosemite National Park
To complete the list, Yosemite National Park, where park managers and firefighters worked to fight forest fires that are raging this summer. In June, Washburn's fire threatened the famous Mariposa Grove, which houses several imminent redwoods. And a second fire, theOak firestarted on July 22 and burned nearly 20,000 acres to date. Fortunately, the fire is now contained at 79%, but the fires persist as a problem each summer.
"The decrease in precipitation and more water rarity thanks to climate change make fires more frequent and more serious in many regions of the world," explains Van Rees. "This is a huge problem for national parks in California like Yosemite and Sequoia, where old trees adapted to more moderate historical climates are now exhausted."
These fires are not a new event and affected Yosemite in several summers. Park managers worked to combat the problem thanks to aElimination and slimming project- Although it seems counter-intuitive, experts say they are cut down trees To save trees.
Since forest fires pose as a threat, Brown actually recommends putting "the California national parks" at the top of your travel list, including Sequoia, Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Park.