Will the Northeast US look more like Pacific Northwest with GLOBAL WARMING?

Question

Because of global warming and increased temperatures and increased humidity and increased precipitation...will New England get a Pacific Northwest feel? Like Washigton?

I mean it will be warmer, milder, wetter...so will the forests change from broadleaf to conifers and redwoods and will everything be green and mossy?

Answer 1

um no,  the pacific northwest qualifies as a non tropical rainforest.. because they get a lot more rain than new england, mainly because its proximity to the pacific ocean, and the flow of weather systems.  Chances are you wont notice any differences at all.

Answer 2

No. For several reasons.

1.) soils. The parent material can't change...ever. Much of the PNW has volcanic soils and other types that we just don't have....

2.) The ocean, and mountains. Much of the weather in the north east comes from the Midwestern states, the northwest receives the bulk of their weather from the ocean. The costal range, traps that moisture and drops it as its pushed over those mountains. Although some places in Upstate new york may get lake effect snow (from the great lakes), it would be very difficult to increase inland weather patterns as much as your suggesting. And the Northeast is plenty wet already: The northeast's average rainfall exceeds Washington's average rainfall, by a lot. The majority of Washington  and Oregon is quite dry http://www.betweenwaters.com/etc/usrain.... .

3.) What about the south east? The south east is milder, more humid, and (in areas) gets more precipitation. The trees from the southeast are more likely to travel northward, than the PSW trees are likely to travel westward.

There are many computer models already developed to simulate forest cover type changes... and for the most part, trees move south to north, and low elevations to higher elevations.

Pines are more conducive to dry soils, and are often found with oaks. And we have them. We also have firs (balsam fir, in the north), hemlocks, spruce... but unfortunately no redwoods.

Also, most of the trees in the rainforest are broadleaved trees... it is difficult to generalize types of trees based on climate.

Answer 3

I think the warming of the 20th century has peaked and will be noticeably cooler in the next 30 years, based on the NASA long range solar forecast.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/...

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/su...

Answer 4

It is the life, we are melting since last glaciations.