Mangrove Canopy Height Globally Related to Precipitation, Temperature and Cyclone Frequency

• Published in: Nature geoscience Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 40 - 45
• Main Authors: Simard, Marc, Fatoyinbo, Lola, Smetanka, Charlotte, Rivera-Monroy, Victor H., Castaneda-Moya, Edward, Thomas, Nathan, Van der Stocken, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Goddard Space Flight Center Nature Research 01.01.2019; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/158/2165; 704/158/2450; 704/158/2454; 704/47/4113; Canopies; Canopy; Carbon; Climate change; Cyclones; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Resources And Remote Sensing; Earth Sciences; Earth System Sciences; Ecosystems; Geochemistry; Geology; Geophysics; Geophysics/Geodesy; Height; Mangrove swamps; Mangroves; Meteorology And Climatology; Precipitation; Remote sensing; Sensitivity analysis; Soil; Stocks; Temperature; Trends; Wetlands
• ISSN: 1752-0894; 1752-0908
• DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0279-1

Mangrove wetlands are among the most productive and carbon-dense ecosystems in the world. Their structural attributesvary considerably across spatial scales, yielding large uncertainties in regional and global estimates of carbon stocks. Here, wepresent a global analysis of mangrove canopy height gradients and aboveground carbon stocks based on remotely sensed measurementsand field data. Our study highlights that precipitation, temperature and cyclone frequency explain 74% of the globaltrends in maximum canopy height, with other geophysical factors influencing the observed variability at local and regionalscales. We find the tallest mangrove forests in Gabon, equatorial Africa, where stands attain 62.8 m. The total global mangrovecarbon stock (above- and belowground biomass, and soil) is estimated at 5.03 Pg, with a quarter of this value stored inIndonesia. Our analysis implies sensitivity of mangrove structure to climate change, and offers a baseline to monitor nationaland regional trends in mangrove carbon stocks.