Developing a Pacific Mangrove Monitoring Network (PACMAN) in Response to Sea Level Rise

Continued sea-level rise from a changing climate is expected to result in the loss of many coastal mangrove trees, which, will strongly affect human populations on isolated Western Pacific islands as they rely heavily on mangrove forests for food (fish, shrimp, and crabs), building materials, and firewood. Mangroves also protect local communities from tsunamis and cyclones and are important for climate change mitigation because they remove and store large amounts of atmospheric CO2 in trees and sediments. Mangroves have kept up with sea-level rise in the past by building up their forest floor elevations relative to sea level through tree root growth and accumulation of sediments delivered by adjacent rivers or oceans. However, it is [...]