By Angel, Founder, Third Orbit Flora
A Hope for a Greener Future; Combating Climate Change
When we think of 2023, crazy weather patterns and record breaking climate temperature shifts make the top of the list. The biggest contributor to global climate change by far is industrial emissions of fossil burning fuels that account for 75% of greenhouse gasses and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, according to data from the United Nations. Although the ideal solution is to stop these emissions, there may be hope of absorbing some of the carbon with trees, and not just the already established forests.
Enter the Mangrove, dubbed ‘green lungs’, that inhabit coastal areas and intertidal waterways across many equatorial tropical and subtropical regions of the world. These Mangrove Forests are capable of pulling massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and converting it through photosynthesis to be stored in the wood mass and roots of the trees. Though Mangroves only cover less than 5% of the land on the planet, they sequester 4 times more carbon per hectare than the Amazon rainforest, and 10 times more per hectare than all other terrestrial forests. The Mangroves that have survived deforestation for shrimp farming and overuse from local communities hold a whopping 20 peta-grams of carbon globally. That equates to 44 trillion pounds of carbon. If areas that are native for Mangrove systems were reforested, that number could rise.
“Effective action on climate change will require a combination of emissions reductions and atmospheric carbon removals,” said Jonathan Sanderman of the Woods Hole Research Center in the U.S. “Protecting, enhancing and restoring natural carbon sinks must become political priorities. Mangrove forests can play an important role in carbon removals because they are among the most carbon-dense ecosystems in the world, and if kept undisturbed, mangrove forest soils act as long-term carbon sinks.”
Mangroves in Focus; Nurturing Biodiversity
But what exactly are Mangroves? And why are they important beyond being a carbon sink? The Mangrove genus, Rhizophora has an amazing and unique ability to tolerate high salinity (halophyte or halophytic). This ability to filter the salt comes from blocking the absorption completely for some, while other species of Mangrove will excrete the salt through its leaves to get rid of it. As trees mature, many mangrove species send up pneumatophores, or aerial roots that reach above the water. Each root is covered in lenticels, or pores that are like air tubes that allow the trees to oxygenate in their low-oxygen salt water environments. Many species straddle the intertidal zone, living on the cusp of drier land or marsh at low tide, and being submerged in the ocean waves at high tide. While others inhabit swamps and brackish river deltas where their roots are submerged perpetually.
An important aspect of Mangroves and mangrove forests is how much they contribute to the ecology of their habitats. Many forms of marine life find shelter in the roots of Mangroves, from nursery fish to mussels, crabs, brittle stars, and more during various times in their life cycles. The branches and boughs of the Mangrove are home to many species of nesting birds, pollinator insects, lizards, monkeys and birds like the endangered mangrove hummingbird, Amazilia boucardi.
Stemming the Tide
Not only are they highly productive ecosystems vital for the survival of many endemic and endangered species, Mangroves are proven protection for coastal regions against storm surges, tidal waves, hurricanes and erosion. The sturdy roots and thick canopies of Mangroves form effective barriers that slow tidal surge forces by lowering wave energy and current speed, limiting damage to coastal communities. The roots are also capable of filtering water pollutants, trapping sediments from the water, and using fallen canopy litter decay to help build up the soil levels, effectively slowing the rise of sea levels along the coastlines they occupy. In areas where the mangrove forests have been removed, the destruction from tropical storms and hurricanes is much more severe. In places like the Indo-Pacific where villages sit right against the coastal beaches, the death rate from major storms is two-thirds higher than areas still guarded by Mangroves.
Mangrove Forests; Nature’s Guardian
In short, the urgency of addressing climate change cannot be overstated. Industrial emissions remain the primary driver of the increase in global temperatures, demanding immediate action to curtail them. However, there lies a beacon of hope in the form of mangrove forests for slowing the rising temperatures and sea levels. Mangrove's significance is greater still than its ability to sink carbon, offering crucial habitat for biodiversity, and serving as protective buffers against natural disasters. As we navigate the complexities of climate change, embracing the potential of mangroves offers a tangible pathway towards a more sustainable and resilient future for our planet and its inhabitants.
- Angel, Founder, Third Orbit Flora
Photo Credit: AI generated image of a Mangrove forest, roots in water, sun rising with clouds in the blue sky.
To read more about Mangroves, their importance to the earth and how they help mitigate carbon emissions, as well as how carbon is measured, check out the links to the experts who gathered the data below.
Causes and Effects of Climate Change | United Nations
Impacts of Mangroves on Coastline Stability - Alpin Limited
pools, fluxes and a word about units - carbon measurements, University of New Hampshire
New study finds mangroves may store way more carbon than we thought