About Mangroves

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Mangroves

Mangrove trees grow in the intertidal zone, and are adapted to daily inundation by seawater. They have stilt-like roots which protect coastlines by reducing significantly the height and frequency of waves.

Mangroves also store large quantities of carbon. Organic matter decays extremely slowly in the oxygen-deprived soils of their intertidal habitat, so carbon from dead material remains trapped in the sediment rather than quickly escaping into the atmosphere. In fact, mangrove forests store about four times as much carbon per unit area as tropical upland forests like some rainforests. Furthermore, as organic material and sediments accumulate underneath mangrove roots, the trees gradually climb upward—helping them to keep up with rising sea levels.

However, rapidly rising sea levels now mean that mangrove forests may be unable to keep pace.