Journal ArticleDOI
Mangrove forests: Resilience, protection from tsunamis, and responses to global climate change
TLDR
The authors assesses the degree of resilience of mangrove forests to large, infrequent disturbance (tsunamis) and their role in coastal protection, and to chronic disturbance events (climate change).Abstract:
This review assesses the degree of resilience of mangrove forests to large, infrequent disturbance (tsunamis) and their role in coastal protection, and to chronic disturbance events (climate change) and the future of mangroves in the face of global change. From a geological perspective, mangroves come and go at considerable speed with the current distribution of forests a legacy of the Holocene, having undergone almost chronic disturbance as a result of fluctuations in sea-level. Mangroves have demonstrated considerable resilience over timescales commensurate with shoreline evolution. This notion is supported by evidence that soil accretion rates in mangrove forests are currently keeping pace with mean sea-level rise. Further support for their resilience comes from patterns of recovery from natural disturbances (storms, hurricanes) which coupled with key life history traits, suggest pioneer-phase characteristics. Stand composition and forest structure are the result of a complex interplay of physiological tolerances and competitive interactions leading to a mosaic of interrupted or arrested succession sequences, in response to physical/chemical gradients and landform changes. The extent to which some or all of these factors come into play depends on the frequency, intensity, size, and duration of the disturbance. Mangroves may in certain circumstances offer limited protection from tsunamis; some models using realistic forest variables suggest significant reduction in tsunami wave flow pressure for forests at least 100 m in width. The magnitude of energy absorption strongly depends on tree density, stem and root diameter, shore slope, bathymetry, spectral characteristics of incident waves, and tidal stage upon entering the forest. The ultimate disturbance, climate change, may lead to a maximum global loss of 10–15% of mangrove forest, but must be considered of secondary importance compared with current average annual rates of 1–2% deforestation. A large reservoir of below-ground nutrients, rapid rates of nutrient flux and microbial decomposition, complex and highly efficient biotic controls, self-design and redundancy of keystone species, and numerous feedbacks, all contribute to mangrove resilience to various types of disturbance.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services
Edward B. Barbier,Sally D. Hacker,Chris J. Kennedy,Evamaria W. Koch,Adrian C. Stier,Brian R. Silliman +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the main ecological services across a variety of estuarine and coastal ecosystems (ECEs) including marshes, mangroves, nearshore coral reefs, seagrass beds, and sand beaches and dunes are reviewed.
Journal ArticleDOI
The impact of climate change on the world's marine ecosystems.
TL;DR: Although there is considerable uncertainty about the spatial and temporal details, climate change is clearly and fundamentally altering ocean ecosystems and will continue to create enormous challenges and costs for societies worldwide, particularly those in developing countries.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics
Daniel C. Donato,J. Boone Kauffman,Daniel Murdiyarso,Sofyan Kurnianto,Melanie Stidham,Markku Kanninen +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantified whole-ecosystem carbon storage by measuring tree and dead wood biomass, soil carbon content, and soil depth in 25 mangrove forests across a broad area of the Indo-Pacific region.
Journal ArticleDOI
Contrasting futures for ocean and society from different anthropogenic CO2 emissions scenarios
Jean-Pierre Gattuso,Jean-Pierre Gattuso,Alexandre K. Magnan,Raphaël Billé,William W. L. Cheung,Ella L. Howes,Fortunat Joos,D. Allemand,Laurent Bopp,Sarah R. Cooley,C. M. Eakin,Ove Hoegh-Guldberg,Ryan P. Kelly,Hans-Otto Pörtner,Alex Rogers,John M. Baxter,D. Laffoley,D. Osborn,Aleksandar Rankovic,Julien Rochette,Ussif Rashid Sumaila,Sébastien Treyer,Carol Turley +22 more
TL;DR: The physics, chemistry, and ecology of the oceans might be affected based on two CO2 emission trajectories: one business as usual and one with aggressive reductions, consistent with the Copenhagen Accord of keeping mean global temperature increase below 2°C in the 21st century.
Journal ArticleDOI
Carbon Cycling and Storage in Mangrove Forests
TL;DR: Of immediate concern are potential carbon losses to deforestation that are greater than these ecosystems' rates of carbon storage, and large reservoirs of dissolved inorganic carbon in deep soils are a large loss of carbon.
References
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Climate change 2007: the physical science basis
Susan Solomon,Dahe Qin,Martin R. Manning,Melinda Marquis,Kristen Averyt,Melinda M.B. Tignor,H. L. Miller,Z. Chen +7 more
TL;DR: The first volume of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report as mentioned in this paper was published in 2007 and covers several topics including the extensive range of observations now available for the atmosphere and surface, changes in sea level, assesses the paleoclimatic perspective, climate change causes both natural and anthropogenic, and climate models for projections of global climate.
Book
Climate change 2007 : the physical science basis : contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a historical overview of climate change science, including changes in atmospheric constituents and radiative forcing, as well as changes in snow, ice, and frozen ground.
Book
Fundamentals of ecology
TL;DR: This book discusses the role of energy in Ecological Systems, its role in ecosystem development, and its implications for future generations of ecologists.
Journal ArticleDOI
Present state and future of the world's mangrove forests
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that over the past 50 years, approximately one-third of the world's mangrove forests have been lost, but most data show very variable loss rates and there is considerable margin of error in most estimates.