By Ryan Robba, Scenic America Research Fellow The United States' 418 National Park units account for just 4% of the country's land area, yet they contain many of the nation's most culturally rich, historically significant and visually impressive landscapes. These precious visual resources are at serious risk of degradation due to climate change. One of the less-discussed effects of climate change is its impact on the visual environment â how it will change the iconic scenery and views that we've come to love. Well-known scenic landscapes are under threat across the country, and we put the spotlight on some of the most endangered below. Joshua Tree National Park, California Joshua Tree National Park could lose the iconic trees after which it was named, with its famous yucca palms dwindling at alarming rates as the number of wildfires in California is expected to grow by almost 10-fold over the next century. Yellowstone National Park, Montana/Idaho/Wyoming The country's first National Park, Yellowstone, is now at risk of irreversible transformation. Its expansive conifer forests may be reduced to barren grasslands as climate change shifts the weather patterns and growing conditions that once allowed them to thrive. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
The fastest receding National Park by landmass, Glacier Bay's shining ice sheets in Alaska have already thinned by over 2,000 feet as a result of warming temperatures. Everglades National Park, Florida Gradually rising seas will inevitably overwhelm the lush mangroves and wetlands in Florida's Everglades National Park, one of the lowest-lying areas in the country. Grand Canyon, Arizona Prolonged droughts across Arizona are depleting the region's groundwater stores. As a result, studies predict that the worldfamous Old Faithful eruptions will become far less frequent. Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
The State of Colorado is expected to face both more floods and more droughts due to global warming. This extreme variability in weather conditions threatens not just forests but also historic sites preserved within the Rocky Mountains. Yosemite National Park, California At Yosemite, scientists have discovered that warming conditions are encouraging invasive species of plants to spread into the National Park. These aggressively growing species are clouding rivers from sunlight and killing off the park's characteristically lively waterfalls and lakes. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan The Park's famous packs of wolves can no longer migrate to and from the island as the ice doesn't freeze over enough to create a bridge with the mainland. In the longer term, much of the island is at risk of total submersion due to rising seas. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
According to a National Park Service report, Grand Teton's glaciers have already shrunk by 25% since the 1970s. This process is expected to accelerate with the planet's ailing climate system. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina In the Great Smoky Mountains, wildfires can desolate over 10,000 acres of its beautiful dense forests in a single season. That number has been steadily rising and will continue to do so if we fail to halt runaway climate change. Big Bend National Park, Texas Big Bend's unique "sky islands" â isolated patches of forest in the middle of a vast desert â risk fading out of existence as shifts in weather patterns render the region uninhabitable to plant life. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
The tropical forests of Hawaii's Big Island are almost all near sea level. The melting of Arctic ice is expanding the oceans, encroaching on this National Park's rocky cliffs and green woodlands. Acadia National Park, Maine Acadia's idyllic beaches and coves might not be around in a few generations. Researches have determined that the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming parts of the world's oceans, and have already recorded sea level rise of 6 inches in the surrounding waters, slowly eroding the Park's picturesque coastline. Zion National Park, Utah Shifting precipitation patterns in Utah as a result of climate change are fundamentally deteriorating its scenic qualities. Increased rainfall in the winter months washes away the characteristic glistening snowy peaks, whilst fewer showers during the summer season are drying up the plentiful forests that traditionally cover its mountains. Ryan Robba is a Research Fellow with Scenic America. He can be contacted here.