Climate change wreaks havoc on US ecosystems, altering landscapes forever.
Climate change is impacting ecosystems in the US by affecting productivity and nutrient cycling. Loss of sea ice, warming, and organic inputs are affecting marine and lake productivity. Wildfires and insect outbreaks are decreasing forest productivity in the arid West. Wetter regions are seeing more productive forests due to warming. Species ranges are shifting extensively, potentially altering biome composition across a significant portion of US land by 2100. Nutrient losses from terrestrial ecosystems to water bodies are increasing due to winter warming and changes in the hydrologic cycle. Ecosystem feedbacks, like carbon dioxide and methane release from wetlands and thawing permafrost, are accelerating climate change.