Mangrove forests are essential in the balance of the ecosystem as it stabilizes the coastline, reduce erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. Fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators are attracted to the intricate root system of the mangrove forests.
They thrive in salty, coastal waters and eternal ebb and flow of the tide conditions that most timbers could never tolerate. Mangroves also can store vast amounts of carbon, making them a key weapon in the fight against climate change.
Sadly, mangrove forests are currently under threat worldwide due to many factors, including the rise of sea levels. By protecting these forests, the planet's future is also protected.
Rising Sea Levels Could Wipe Out Mangroves by 2050
According to new research, mangrove forests may not be able to keep up with rising sea levels if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. The mangroves are not moving fast enough to escape rising sea levels and most likely disappear by 2050.
The study which was published in the journal Science found that the sea levels are rising by 6 millimeters per year, threatening the existence of the mangrove forests. The researchers estimate that it could happen as soon as 30 years from now if the emission of greenhouse gases is not cut.
The world is now witnessing sea levels rising globally at a rate of more than 3 millimeters a year, although some places are seeing more drastic change.
These forests do a lot of good for the planet and restoring them is one way scientists from Florida can think of defending coastal communities from big waves from the ocean. It is just important that humans also do their part in saving them.
One of the author of the study, Erica Ashe, a post-doctoral scientist at Rutgers University said that "we have an opportunity here to take action and to keep the rates of sea-level rise below these critical thresholds, which is part of the reason that this is an important study."
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One-fifth of the World's Mangroves Already Perished
The roots of the mangroves alone resemble a forest rising above the water which can pull freshwater from salty seawater and serve as a nursery for fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. However, the mangroves could drown if their roots are completely submerged for too long.
Between 1980 and 2010, one-fifth of the world's mangroves already perished. Usually, they can quickly adapt to rising sea levels, but with human development along coastlines make this impossible. Known as "coastal squeeze," that problem is playing out in Florida's expansive mangrove systems. Tampa Bay has already lost almost half of its mangroves in the past century.
The researchers studied sediment cores from 78 locations across the globe that revealed data on mangrove growth over the past 10,000 years. However, there is not enough information on the recent human-induced sea-level rise on mangroves.
So, the researchers looked for when ancient mangroves emerged and found that they only developed when rates of sea-level rise dropped below 7 millimeters a year.
Governments should look for solutions to keep sea-level rise below that threshold to lessen climate change effects and to protect their citizens who depend on mangroves for shelter, flood protection, food, and fiber. That means reducing the use of fossil fuels.
