Department of Coastal Studies, East Carolina University, Wanchese, NC, USA.
Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
Nat Commun. 2021 Jun 28;12(1):4003. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24253-y.
Mangroves buffer inland ecosystems from hurricane winds and storm surge. However, their ability to withstand harsh cyclone conditions depends on plant resilience traits and geomorphology. Using airborne lidar and satellite imagery collected before and after Hurricane Irma, we estimated that 62% of mangroves in southwest Florida suffered canopy damage, with largest impacts in tall forests (>10 m). Mangroves on well-drained sites (83%) resprouted new leaves within one year after the storm. By contrast, in poorly-drained inland sites, we detected one of the largest mangrove diebacks on record (10,760 ha), triggered by Irma. We found evidence that the combination of low elevation (median = 9.4 cm asl), storm surge water levels (>1.4 m above the ground surface), and hydrologic isolation drove coastal forest vulnerability and were independent of tree height or wind exposure. Our results indicated that storm surge and ponding caused dieback, not wind. Tidal restoration and hydrologic management in these vulnerable, low-lying coastal areas can reduce mangrove mortality and improve resilience to future cyclones.
红树林缓冲内陆生态系统免受飓风风和风暴潮的影响。然而，它们抵御恶劣气旋条件的能力取决于植物的恢复力特征和地貌。利用飓风艾尔玛前后采集的机载激光雷达和卫星图像，我们估计佛罗里达州西南部 62%的红树林遭受树冠损害，高大森林（>10 米）的影响最大。排水良好的地点（83%）的红树林在风暴后一年内重新长出新叶。相比之下，在排水不良的内陆地点，我们检测到记录中最大的红树林衰退之一（10760 公顷），这是艾尔玛引发的。我们有证据表明，低海拔（中位数=9.4 厘米海平面以上）、风暴潮水位（高于地面 1.4 米以上）和水文隔离的组合导致了沿海森林的脆弱性，并且与树木高度或风暴露无关。我们的研究结果表明，风暴潮和积水导致了衰退，而不是风。在这些脆弱的低海拔沿海地区进行潮汐恢复和水文管理可以减少红树林的死亡率，并提高对未来气旋的恢复力。
