Abstract
The principal scenario concerning the potential effects of climate change on mangrove forest communities revolves around sealevel rise with emphases on coastal abandonment and inland retreat attributable to flooding and saline intrusion. However, at the decade to century scale, changes in precipitation and catchment runoff may be a more significant factor at the regional level. Specifically, for any given sealevel elevation it is hypothesized that reduced rainfall and runoff would necessarily result in higher salinity and greater seawater-sulfate exposure. This would likely be associated with decreased production and increased sediment organic matter decomposition leading to subsidence. In contrast, higher rainfall and runoff would result in reduced salinity and exposure to sulfate, and also increase the delivery of terrigenous nutrients. Consequently, mangrove production would increase and sediment elevations would be maintained. Support for this scenario derives from studies of the high production in saline mangrove impoundments which are depleted in seawater sulfate. This paper also examines other components of climate change, such as UVb, temperature, and storm frequency, and presents a suite of hypotheses and analytical protocols to encourage scientific discussion and testing.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ahmed, S. I., 1992. Coping with excess salt in their growth environments:Osmoregulation and other survival strategies deployed by the mangroves. Pak. J. mar. Sci. 1: 73–86.
Clough, B. F. & P. M. Attiwill, 1982. Primary productivity of mangroves,pp. 213–222. In B. F. Clough [ed.]. Mangrove Ecosystems of Australia. Australian National University Press, Canberra,302 pp.
Briggs, S. V., 1977. Estimates of biomass in a temperate mangrove community. Aust. J. Ecology 2: 369–373.
Davis, J. H., 1938a. The role of mangrove vegetation in land building in southern Florida. American Philosopical Society Yearbook: 162–164.
Davis, J. H., 1938b. Mangroves, makers of land. Nature Magazine 31:551–553.
Davis, J. H., 1940. The ecology and geologic role of mangroves in Florida. Publication Carnegie Institution 517: 303–412.
Davis, J. H., 1942. The ecology of the vegetation and topography of the sand keys of Florida. Publication Carnegie Institution 33: 113–195.
Davis, J. H., 1943. The natural features of Southern Florida, especially the vegetation, and the everglades. Geological Bulletin Florida 25, 311 pp.
Ellision, J. C., 1993. Mangrove retreat with rising sea-level, Bermuda.Estuar. coast, mar. sci 37: 75–87.
Ellison, J. C. & D. R. Stoddart, 1991. Mangrove ecosystem collapse during predicted sealevel rise: Holocene analogues and implications J. Coast. Res. 7: 151–165.
Gill, A. M. & P. B. Tomlinson, 1971. Studies on the growth of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle L.) 3. Phenology of the shoot. Biotropica 3: 109–124.
Golley, F. B., H. T. Odum & R. F. Wilson, 1962. The structure and metabolism of a Puerto Rican red mangrove forest in May. Ecology 43: 9–19.
Golley, F. B., J. T. McGinnis, R. G. Clements, G. I. Child & M. J. Duever, 1974. Mineral Cycling in a Tropical Moist Forest Ecosystem. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens, 248 pp.
Goodwin, T. W., 1965. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plant Pigments.Academic Press, New York.
Hackney, C. T., 1987. Factors affecting accumulation or loss of macroorganic matter in salt marsh sediments. Ecology 68: 1109–1113.
Hamilton, L. & S. C. Snedaker (eds), 1984. Handbook for Mangrove Area Management, Environment and Policy Institute, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 123 pp.
Hillman, W. S., 1967. The physiology of phytochrome. Ann. Rev. Pl. Physiol. 18: 301–324.
Jimenez, J. A., 1988. Dynamics and dispersion patterns of two mangrove populations on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Ph.D. Dissertation. Univ. Miami, Coral Gables, 176 pp.
Lahmann, E. J., 1988. Effects of different hydrological regimes on the productivity of Rhizophora mangle L. A case study of mosquito control impoundments at Hutchinson Island, Saint Lucie County, Florida. Ph.D. Dissertation. Univ. Miami, Coral Gables, 149 pp.
Levitt, J., 1972. Responses of Plants to Environmental Stresses. Academic Press, New York, 607 pp.
Lewis, R. R., III, R. G. Gilmore, Jr., D. W. Crewz & W. E. Odum, 1985. Mangrove habitat and fishery resources of Florida: 281– 336. In William Seaman, Jr. (ed.). Florida Aquatic Habitat and Fishery Resources. Florida Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Kissimmee, FL. 543 pp.
Lin, Peng, n.d., Element cycle and energy dynamics in three kinds of mangroves of China. Manuscript, 14 pp.
Lugo, A. E., M. Sell & S. C. Snedaker, 1976. Mangrove ecosystem analysis, pp. 113–145. In B. C. Patten (ed.). Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology, Vol. IV. Academic Press, New York, NY, 593 pp.
Maul, G. A. & D. M. Martin, 1993. Sea level rise at Key West, 1846–1992: America’s longest instrument record? Geophysical Research Letters 20: 1955–1958.
Morris, J. T., 1991. Effects of nitrogen loading on wetland ecosystems.Ann. Rev. Ecol. and Syst. 22: 257–279.
Padgett, D. E., C. T. Hackney & A. A. de la Cruz, 1986. Growth of filamentous fungi into balsa wood panels buring in North Carolina salt marsh sediments. Trans. br. mycol. Soc 87: 155–162.
Park, R. A., M. S. Trehan, P. W. Mausel & R. C. Howe, 1989. The effects of sea level rise on U.S. coastal wetlands and lowlands.HRI Report No. 164. OPPE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Pool, D. J., S. C. Snedaker & A. E. Lugo, 1977. Structure of mangrove forests in Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica. Biotropica 9: 195–212.
Rabino, I., L. Mancinelli & K. M. Kuzmanoff, 1977. Photocontrol of anthocyanin synthesis. Plant Physiol. 59: 569–573.
Rabinowitz, D., 1978a. Dispersal properties of mangrove propagules.Biotropica 10: 47–57.
Rabinowitz, D., 1978b. Mortality and initial propagule size in mangrove seedlings in Panama. J. Ecol. 66: 45–51.
Rabinowitz, D., 1978c. Early growth of mangrove seedlings in Panama,and an hypothesis concerning the relationship of dispersal and zonation. J. Biogeogr. 5: 113–133.
Snedaker, S. C., 1993. Impact on mangroves, pp. 282–305. In G. A. Maul (ed.) Climate Change in the Intra-Americas Sea.Edward Arnold, Hodder and Stoughton Publishers, Kent, UK., 389 pp.
Snedaker, S. C., M. S. Brown, E. J. Lahmann & R. J. Araujo, 1992. Recovery of a mixed-species mangrove forest in south Florida following canopy removal. J. coastal Res. 8: 919–925.
Spencer, D. F. & G. G. Ksander, 1990. Influence of temperature, light and nutrient limitation on anthocyanin content of Potamogeton gramineus L. Aquat. Bot 38: 357–367.
Tevini, M., 1993. Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on terrestrial plants, pp. 125–153. In M. Tevini (ed.) UV-B Radiation and Ozono Depletion: Effects on Humans, Animals, Plants, Microorganisms, and Materials. Lewis Publishers. Boca Raton, FL., 248 pp.
Tomlinson, P. B., 1986. The Botany of Mangroves. Cambridge University Press, New York, 413 pp.
Wanless, H. R., 1982. Sea level is rising-so what? J. Sed. Petrol. 52: 1051–1054.
Watson, J. G., 1928. Mangrove forests of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Forest Records 6: 125–149.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this paper
Cite this paper
Snedaker, S.C. (1995). Mangroves and climate change in the Florida and Caribbean region: scenarios and hypotheses. In: Wong, YS., Tam, N.F.Y. (eds) Asia-Pacific Symposium on Mangrove Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 106. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0289-6_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0289-6_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4127-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0289-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive