Mangroves

Overview

The Challenge

Mangroves inhabit saline and brackish zones in tropical/subtropical coasts.  Growing on the edge between land and sea, these species have developed adaptations for the low oxygen, inundation and high salinity found in their environment.  These forests support a variety of fish species, some endemic to mangrove ecosystems.  Many commercially important fish species, such as shrimp, utilize mangrove ecosystems during at least one part of their lifecycle (Flores-Verdugo et al. 1990; Barbier and Strand 1997). In addition, mangrove roots capture sediments from run-off, stabilize shorelines, and reduce flooding (Mazda et al. 1997; Kaly and Jones 1998).

In the Gulf of Mexico, mangrove ecosystems face several threats.  While natural stressors such as insects and hurricanes have helped shaped mangrove ecosystems historically (Simberloff et al. 1978; Roth 1998), today anthropogenic stressors are the biggest threat. While mangroves have adapted to certain levels of inundation, changes in the hydrologic regime, such as construction of roads and diking can make habitat unsuitable for mangroves (Lewis 2005). Shoreline development and the extraction of mangroves for wood products are two direct leading causes for habitat loss (Kaly and Jones 1998).

GoMRC’s Contribution

As part of a demonstration project in Mexico, scientists in Veracruz and Campeche are collaborating with US scientists to understand ways that the best management techniques can be enhanced through the use of GoMRC & COAST tools. Specific steps within an adaptive management framework for coastal management can be enhanced through the use of NASA imagery and tools that use NASA imagery.  

• COAST permits local users to look at spatial and temperal information for some parameters of interest, such as land use change over time, while the ArcGIS tools can be used to quantitatively assess change between two timesteps.

• Conceptual Model Explorer permits scientists and managers to create conceptual models and dynamically search for information.