Mangroves, And Mangrove Ecosystems Being Impacted by Climate Change.

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Mangroves are coastal trees that grow in salty water. The mangrove tree is an evergreen with several salt-tolerant species found in many parts of the world including South America, Central America, Western Africa, Eastern Africa and Asia. They can be found in oceans as well as landlocked seas such as the Black Sea or Red Sea. The Mangrove ecosystems are a vital part of our planet, providing protection against storms. Rising air and water temperatures could harm these vital ecosystems, making them less resilient and more vulnerable to damage during extreme weather events (Alongi, 2014).

Mangroves are important to the world in many ways. They help protect coastal areas, provide drinking water, and they even help mitigate climate change by absorbing and then storing carbon. Unfortunately, the impacts of climate change are making it harder for Mangroves to survive, which threatens the future of humankind. The impacts of climate change on Mangroves, and Mangrove ecosystems can be quite broad. The first impacts are a result of climate change due to rising temperatures, impacts of ocean acidification, and changes in sea level. The second impact is the natural effect of mangroves moving to higher ground so they won’t be killed by high waters. Finally, the third part is how some ecosystem services can decrease or even go extinct entirely because of climate change like the extinction rate for honeybees and formation rates for coral reefs (Dittmar, 2006).

Another major impact of climate change on Mangroves, and Mangrove ecosystems, is the reduction in tolerance of saltwater to freshwater. This means that the increased salinity can cause Mangroves to die off, and they are unable to provide a range of benefits they have historically given us. There are some ways in which marine organisms adjust though; one way is an increase in symbiotic algae that grow on these dead Mangroves. This enables them to survive both because the algae provide nutrients and shelter for the other organisms living there. Unfortunately, this adaptation does not come without risks for these organisms as well as those that live nearby; high levels of toxins from bioavailable manganese in water, released by decomposing dead Mangroves also pose a risk for surrounding marine life (Wilson, 2017).

In conclusion, a mangrove is any tree or shrub that grows with its roots in the ground but above water (in coastal regions). there are various key Impacts of climate change on Mangroves, and Mangrove ecosystems. These impacts are mainly due to the global rise in sea levels and climate change, which are both having a dramatic effect on these important coastal ecosystems. I encourage you to find out more about how climate change is impacting our planet, and what you can do to help solve this issue before it becomes too late. Mangroves are an essential part of our world’s ecosystem, so it is important that we take these issues seriously and try our best to help. Mangrove conservation may be one of the most important environmental efforts of our time. Mangroves are salt tolerant plants that grow on sheltered mudflats, estuaries and along tidal rivers and streams in tropical regions. They are called halophytes, because they grow at “high” saline levels when most plants cannot cope with this situation.

References

Dittmar, T., Hertkorn, N., Kattner, G., & Lara, R. J. (2006, February 21). Mangroves, a major source of dissolved organic carbon to the oceans. AGU Advancing Earth and Space Science. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1029/2005GB002570Alongi, D. M. (2014). Carbon cycling and storage in mangrove … – website.whoi.edu. Carbon Cycling and Storage in Mangrove Forests. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from http://website.whoi.edu/gfd/wpcontent/uploads/sites/14/2018/10/Mangroves_Alongi_D _2014_ARMS_268964.pdf Gilman, E. L., Ellison, J., Duke, N. C., & Field, C. (2007, December).

Review threats to mangroves from climate change and … – IUCN.. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/import/downloads/aquatic_botany_mangrove_artic le2008.pdf The Ocean Portal Team Reviewed by Candy Feller. (2018, December 18). Mangroves. Smithsonian Ocean. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://ocean.si.edu/oceanlife/plants-algae/mangrovesWilson, R. (2017). Impacts of Climate Change on Mangrove Ecosystems in the Coastal and Marine Environments of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_dat a/file/607715/7._Mangroves_combined.pdf