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Possible Impacts of Predicted Sea-Level Rise on South Pacific Mangroves

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posted on 2023-05-22, 10:50 authored by Joanna EllisonJoanna Ellison
In the Pacific islands the total mangrove area is about 343,735 ha, with largest areas in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Caledonia. A total of 34 species of mangroves occur, and 3 hybrids. These are of the Indo-Malayan assemblage, and decline in diversity from west to east across the Pacific, reaching a limit at American Samoa. Mangrove resources are traditionally exploited in the Pacific islands, for construction and fuel wood, medicines, and food supplies. There are two main environmental settings for mangroves of the Pacific, deltaic and estuarine mangroves of high islands, and embayment, lagoon and reef flat mangroves of low islands. Past analogues indicate that the intertidal habitat of mangroves makes them sensitive to sea-level rise. Pacific island stratigraphic records and paleoecological reconstruction of mangrove response to Holocene sea-level rise has shown that low island mangroves could keep up with a sea-level rise of up to 12 cm/100 years. High island mangroves can keep up with sea-level rates of up to 45 cm/100 years, according to the supply of fluvial allochthonous sediment input. A present analogue to sea-level rise impacts on Pacific island mangroves is provided by Bermuda, where tide gauge records since 1932 show sea-level rise at a rate of 28 cm/ 100 years. The largest mangrove area at Hungry Bay has problems with recent retreat of the seaward edge, and mangroves showing stress symptoms. With ecological change likely in Pacific mangroves with sea-level rise, a regional monitoring system is needed. This has been the intention of a number of programs, but none is yet implemented.

History

Publication title

Sea-Level changes and their effects

Editors

BJ Noye, MP Grezchnik

Pagination

49-72

ISBN

981-02-3618-2

Department/School

School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences

Publisher

World Scientific Publishing Co Ltd

Place of publication

Singapore

Extent

9

Rights statement

© World Scientific Publishing Co., 1999

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Rehabilitation or conservation of coastal or estuarine environments

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