Mapping Areas, Understanding Causes and Estimating Impacts of Mangrove Erosion Hotspots

Accretion and erosion are natural phenomena taking place dynamically in the mangrove ecosystem, but anthropogenic pressure may disturb these dynamics causing an increase in erosion. The increased erosion of mangrove coastlines leads to mangrove degradation and loss of ecosystem services. Erosion of mangrove coastlines is taking place at a global scale, but its extent is poorly studied. This study uses cloud-based remote sensing techniques to identify mangrove erosion hotspots around the world between 1984 and 2015 using available data on shoreline erosion, surface water change, and mangrove distribution. Along with studying the distribution of mangrove erosion, different water cover classes (permanent, seasonal and ephemeral) that have changed due to erosion are also analyzed. Using the distribution of erosion and history of sediment flow, further understanding of the process of erosion in hotspot areas is developed. With the help of this study, management of mangrove forest with the perspective of preventing shoreline erosion is recommended. Due to climate change induced sea level rise and upstream changes in sediment management, mangrove erosion could increase in the future. Thus, it is important to identify mangrove erosion hotspots and study mangrove erosion causes and impact to be better prepared for future scenarios and address management shortcomings.