Coastal Retreat In Face Of Rising Sea Levels Found To Be Influenced By Wildfires

Coastal Retreat In Face Of Rising Sea Levels Found To Be Influenced By Wildfires

NORFOLK, Va. -- The retreat of coastlines due to rising sea levels may be accelerated by wildfires, a Duke University researcher has discovered. In the absence of such fires, forests can slow the encroachment, he found. At such fire scenes, though, finger-like patches of marshlands can extend into former forest by as much as several hundred yards. The result is a 'punctuated' near-shoreline landscape, the scientist said. Such punctuated advance of the sea is in sharp contrast to the widespread belief that coastal change would be gradual due to sea-level rise.