Mangroves prevent waves, tidal surges and sequester carbon. About 10.000 literature are available on this.
Mangroves plays a great part in shoreline stabilization. This is achieved through the binding and cohering of soil by plant roots and deposited vegetative matter, the dissipation of erosion forces such as wave and wind energy, and the trapping of sediments. Thus the intricate root system not only protects the shoreline from erosion but also adds land. The mangroves reduce the intensity of cyclone and tidal surge acting as a natural barrier for the coastal human habitations
http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=192409
"Mangrove ecosystems are threatened by climate change. We review the state of knowledge of mangrove vulnerability and responses to predicted climate change and consider adaptation options. Based on available evidence, of all the climate change outcomes, relative sea-level rise may be the greatest threat to mangroves. Most mangrove sediment surface elevations are not keeping pace with sea-level rise, although longer term studies from a larger number of regions are needed. Rising sea-level will have the greatest impact on mangroves experiencing net lowering in sediment elevation, where there is limited area for landward migration. The Pacific Islands mangroves have been demonstrated to be at high risk of substantial reductions. There is less certainty over other climate change outcomes and mangrove responses. More research is needed on assessment methods and standard indicators of change in response to effects from climate change, while regional monitoring networks are needed to observe these responses to enable educated adaptation. Adaptation measures can offset anticipated mangrove losses and improve resistance and resilience to climate change. Coastal planning can adapt to facilitate mangrove migration with sea-level rise. Management of activities within the catchment that affect long-term trends in the mangrove sediment elevation, better management of other stressors on mangroves, rehabilitation of degraded mangrove areas, and increases in systems of strategically designed protected area networks that include mangroves and functionally linked ecosystems through representation, replication and refugia, are additional adaptation options."
From article of Threats to mangroves from climate change and adaptation options- By: Eric L. Gilman
https://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/aquatic_botany_mangrove_article2008.pdf
"Mangroves function as a natural coastline protection for erosion and inundation, providing important environmental services. Due to their geographical distribution at the continent-ocean interface, the mangrove habitat may suffer heavy impacts from global climate change, maximized by local human activities occurring in a given coastal region. This review analyzed the literature published over the last 25 years, on the documented response of mangroves to environmental change caused by global climate change, taking into consideration 104 case studies and predictive modeling, worldwide. Most studies appeared after the year 2000, as a response to the 1997 IPCC report. Although many reports showed that the world's mangrove area is decreasing due to direct anthropogenic pressure, several others, however, showed that in a variety of habitats mangroves are expanding as a response to global climate change. Worldwide, pole ward migration is extending the latitudinal limits of mangroves due to warmer winters and decreasing the frequency of extreme low temperatures, whereas in low-lying coastal plains, mangroves are migrating landward due to sea level rise, as demonstrated for the NE Brazilian coast. Taking into consideration climate change alone, mangroves in most areas will display a positive response. In some areas however, such as low-lying oceanic islands, such as in the Pacific and the Caribbean, and constrained coastlines, such as the SE Brazilian coast, mangroves will most probably not survive."
Mangroves Response to Climate Change: A Review of Recent Findings on Mangrove Extension and Distribution- By: Mario D.P. Godoy , Luiz D. de Lacerda
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0001-37652015000200651&script=sci_arttext
Climate change and sea level rise impacts on mangrove
ecosystems
"Mangrove forests are tropical intertidal habitats and are extensively developed on accretionary shorelines. There are 34 species of mangrove trees, in addition to three hybrids, with the centre of diversity being in southern Papua New Guinea. There is a decline in diversity from west to east across the Pacific, reaching a limit at American Samoa, while Atlantic mangrove species diversity is relatively poor. Global distribution is controlled by the 20°C isotherm, with diversity, forest height and associated productivity declining with increasing latitude away from the equator.
Sea level rise poses a major threat to mangrove ecosystems through sediment erosion, inundation stress and increased salinity at landward zones. These problems will be exacerbated for mangrove stands that are subjected to ‘coastal squeeze’, ie where landward migration is restricted by topography or human developments. Increased air temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations are also likely to increase mangrove productivity, change phenological patterns, and expand the ranges of mangrove forests into higher latitudes..."
By: Joanna Ellison
Mangrove forest traps huge amount of atmospheric carbon-dioxide which cause global warming and responsible for climatic changes.
Dear Nabonita
i recommend you go to RG search. There are many artkcles on that and yet you can also talk to their authors.
Mangroves provide shade and control wind such that heat energy is drastically reduced
Mangrove species have demonstrated different tolerances to changes in sea level, salinity, and storms. By understanding which mangrove stands are able to survive sea-level rise and other changes, natural resource managers can identify and protect refuges that self-seed and act as sources for seeding of future mangrove communities.
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/managing_mangroves_for_resilience_to_climate_change.pdf
As already been discussed by other researchers mangrove ecosystem is a very fragile and uniformly dence ecosystem where afforeststion is very less and therefore carbon sequestration potential of this ecosystem is very high. This may ne the reason why mangrove ecosystem is very important to curb climate change. Lot many papers are available on role of mangrove ecosystem in carbon seqestration.
Marine vegetated habitats including mangroves occupy only 0.2% of the ocean surface, but contribute 50% of carbon burial in marine sediments. Their canopies dissipate wave energy and high burial rates raise the seafloor, hence stabilizing the rising sea level, coastal flooding, erosion and wave action that are major allied with climate change.The restoration and conservation use of vegetated coastal habitats for coastal protection provide a promising strategy, delivering significant capacity for climate change mitigation. (PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED ARTICLE FROM NATURE).
By thrashing and reducing the energy of waves; by elevating the mudflats etc.
Mangroves have an important role in climate change both in adaptation and in mitigation.
But all this could be summarized in the generation of ecosystem services.These services can be considered to a greater or lesser extent that are related to the topic of climate change (UNEP, 2014).
Some of these services are:
Provisioning
- Timber and construction materials
- Fisheries
- Biodiversity
- Medicine
- Food
- Fuelwood
- Fiber
- Tannins
- Fodder
Regulating and Supporting
- Climate regulation
- Coastal protection
- Water quality maintenance
- Nutrient cycling
- Water cycling
- Soil stabilization and erosion control
- Provision of nursery habitats
- Support to coral reefs, seagrass beds, mud flats and sand flats
Cultural
- Ecotourism
- Heritage and culture
- Spiritual enrichment
- Religious value and cultural ceremony
- Recreation
- Aesthetics
- Education
- Scientific research
Source:
Research THE IMPORTANCE OF MANGROVES TO PEOPLE: A CALL TO ACTION
In addition to the attenuation of wave energy and stabilisation of coastlines as mentioned in previous answers, mangrove forests also store two to four times the amount of carbon dioxide than other plants and are some of the most carbon-dense forests in the tropics. Consequently, mangrove forests are powerful biosequesters, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it as biomass (See Donato et al., 2011).
Donato, D.C., Kauffman, J.B., Murdiyarso, D., Kurnianto, S., Stidham, M. and Kanninen, M., 2011. Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics. Nature geoscience, 4(5), p.293.
Article Inventorying, Mapping and Monitoring of Mangroves towards Su...
YES, they are considered as walking forest... Technical Report Conservation and Management of Mangroves in Uttara Kannada, ...
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