Mangroves have struggled with sea level rise on Kar Nicobar Island

A study said that mangroves belonging to Rhizophora spp. On Car Nicobar Island were resistant to sudden rises and subsidence of land during the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, and the seafront Rhizophora mangrove forests are located on the island’s frontlines, and have long roots to deal with surface level rise Sea: Historically, mangroves in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have undergone many sudden changes in sea level due to four major earthquakes. The study said that this may have added a certain degree of flexibility to mangroves.

In the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman-Tsunami earthquake, when the ground sank and the sea suddenly rose on Kar Nicobar Island, the mangroves facing the ground could not survive. A study said the sudden disturbance did not affect the seafront mangroves that are dominated by the Rhizophora species.

Seafront mangrove forests dominated by Rhizophora spp. It can resist long flood and wave bombardment. But the land-bound mangrove forests consist of Bruguiera spp. And Lumnitzera spp. And Sonneratia spp. They could only bear so much – they couldn’t survive the sudden subsidence of 1 meter in Kimios Bay on Car Nicobar Island, part of the Nicobar Islands, during the major seismic event.

“The sudden sea level rise (SLR) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands caused by 1.1 m inundation of the Earth’s crust provided insights into the species level responses of mangroves to SLR,” said study author Nehru Prabakaran of the Wildlife Institute of India. . He doubts the elasticity of Rhizophora spp. This is possibly due to the recurring geological events in the Nicobar Islands and their ability to adapt to thriving habitats that are exposed to a prolonged period of flooding by sea water.

There are varying degrees of flexibility between species. For example, each mangrove species has different levels of resilience (high or low) to sea level rise, mainly due to their morphological (structural) adaptations to thrive at different depths of tidal floods, ”Prabakaran said, stressing that Resilience of mangrove species towards SLR is key to designing conservation strategies for this economically important ecosystem which is among the most vulnerable to SLR.

The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, followed by the disastrous tsunami, devoured the land mass. It stripped the coast of trees in the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean – the landmass closest to the epicenter. The mangroves, which thrive where land and water meet, have borne the brunt of the natural disaster. According to a 2018 study by Prabakaran, the event destroyed up to 97 percent of the Nicobar Islands mangrove cover.

Among the sites that survived the mangroves, Chimeus Bay on Kar Nikobar Island was the only spot with more than 80 hectares of mangrove area to survive despite a 1.1 meter collapse of the land. This 80 hectare patch is the unaffected Rhizophora. The affected areas dominated by Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Lumnitzera racemosa span approximately 100 hectares.

Expanding the ability of the Rhizophora species to adapt to sea level rise, Prabakaran said, all over the world, these plants grow predominantly on the seafront side, mainly due to their aerial roots / substrate with specialized aerobic respiratory roots.

In Rhizophora spp., The roots diverge from the stems and twigs and penetrate the soil some distance from the main stem as in the case of banyan trees. “These roots (in Rhizophora spp.) Strengthen the plants to withstand high wind speeds (which are frequent in the sea area) and longer hours of tidal water inundation. On the other hand, Bruguiera spp.) Has roots at the knee, which means that The roots enter the soil a distance and then come out. “

Knee roots are horizontal roots that grow directly below the surface of the soil and periodically grow vertically upwards and then immediately curl downwards to resemble a bent knee. By repetition, a single horizontal root produces a series of knees at regular intervals. The aerial parts (knees) of these roots help fully aerate the roots which, due to their widespread prevalence, improve anchorage in unstable mud, according to information about mangroves on the National University of Singapore webpage.

The complex substrate root system typical of the Rhizophora genus often begins 5 m above the raised waterline. This complex network of roots enables the Rhizophora family. To adapt to sea level rise, high speed winds and waves. Photography by Nehru Prabakaran.

According to the State of India’s State of Forests Report (ISFR) 2019, about 40 percent of the world’s mangrove forest cover is located in Southeast Asia and South Asia. India possesses about three percent of the total mangrove forests in South Asia. The current assessment shows that the country’s mangrove forest area is 4,975 square kilometers, which is 0.15 percent of the country’s total geographical area. Mangrove cover in the country increased by 54 square kilometers (1.10 percent) compared to the previous assessment. West Bengal has 42.45 percent of mangroves in India, followed by Gujarat with 23.66 percent and Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 12.39 percent coverage.

Mangroves have a complex root system that efficiently dissipates sea wave energy to protect coastal areas from tsunamis, storm surges and soil erosion. Its preventive role has been widely recognized, especially after the 2004 tsunami.

Keeping up with sea level rise

Mangroves do not descend without a fight. They can keep up with sea level rise and avoid floods by trapping sediments vertically, which allows them to maintain soil levels appropriate for plant growth. “The faster growth of Rhizophora spp. Also allows it to trap sediments quickly and build soil to match global sea level rise,” Prabakaran said.

But a 2015 study of mangroves in the Indo-Pacific region indicates that mangrove forests in locations with low tidal range and low sediment supplies could be inundated early by 2070. And at 69 percent of the study sites, the rate at which they accumulate was The sediment mangroves are not fast enough to keep pace with the current rate of sea level rise, the newspaper said.

A special report issued recently by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that existing ecosystem services from the ocean are expected to decline at 1.5 ° C of global warming, with losses increasing at 2 ° C of global warming.

Ramasubramanian of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, in agreement with the findings in Kimius Bay, said that a sea level rise of 1 meter leading to sudden inundation would not pose a threat to Rhizophora plants. These plants grow 6-10 m high in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and have a large number of roots above the inundation level.

“Mangrove species such as Avicennia spp. And Bruguiera spp. Can also withstand a natural rise in sea level of about a few millimeters per year (about 3 mm / year). This is because the radical modifications (the aerial bearing and knee roots) will gradually grow,” Ramasubramanian said. “Combined with sea level it will be able to withstand sea level rise. But the 2004 event was rare where the SLR rose occurred suddenly, and prolonged inundation killed mangroves with shorter aerial platforms.”

Front-line plants that face the sea, such as Rhizophora spp. It was hit hardest by the tsunami. “As the waves move towards the mangroves, their energy will decrease dramatically from the sea to the land. The sea-facing mangrove area experiences high wave energy, while the land-bound area experiences less experience. Therefore, physical uprooting is high in the mangrove area facing the sea. , Tree death due to sea level rise associated with collapse / inundation was high in the mangrove area heading to land, ”Prabakaran explained.

Dead trees in the foreground are typical of large-scale mangrove death in landlocked areas dominated by Bruguiera spp. , While the vegetation in the background shows the unaffected vegetation dominated by Rhizophora mucronata. Photography by Nehru Prabakaran.

Hereditary influences may also have shaped the resilience of the Rhizophora pool. In the past two centuries, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been hit by four powerful earthquakes in 1847, 1881, 1941 and 2004 due to tectonic movements. The paper says that the mangrove forests on these islands may have undergone many sudden changes in sea level.

“Records of mangrove drowning and coastal vegetation drowning due to subsidence are available across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands dating back to 1868 (Coors 1868; Oldham 1884; Tiber 1911). Of particular note is the 1881 earthquake, which caused the rise and fall of the Nicobar car (Ortiz) And Pelham 2003).

Rhizophora spp. Survival threshold. It appears to be between 1.1 meters (as recorded by Car Nicobar) and 1.35 meters of sudden landing. However, further studies focus on microcosm experiences to understand Rhizophora spp. Prabakaran said that flexibility to rapid SLR at the study site is required to reinforce these observations.

“The Bruguiera spp. Back slowly. It appears in areas where coconut plantations were located earlier. These areas become tidal, Prabakaran said, where the tidal water comes and goes.

The United Nations Environment Program asserts that mangrove forests are among the most powerful nature-based solutions to climate change. But with 67 percent of mangroves lost or degraded thus far, and an additional 1.0 percent lost each year, they are at risk of being eradicated. Without mangroves, the number of people inundated by floods would increase by 39 percent annually and flood damage would increase by more than 16 percent and US $ 82 billion. They protect beaches from erosion and protect communities from floods, hurricanes and storms, a service more important than ever as sea levels continue to rise. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) recently issued “Guidelines on Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration for the Western Indian Ocean” to analyze risks and challenges to restoration projects and indicate potential solutions.

Prabakaran emphasized that selecting mangrove species is important for mangrove restoration projects. “We cannot confirm that Rhizophora species worldwide will exhibit a similar ability to adapt to the sudden increase in sea level, as is the case in Car Nicobar. But a number of other researchers have confirmed that Rhizophora species worldwide certainly do better against altitude. Global sea level (a gradual process in contrast to the sudden increase in Car Nicobar) compared to many other mangrove species, “he said.

“If the goal of any mangrove conservation and restoration projects is focused on combating sea level rise, then the Rhizophora species would be relatively the best selected species for the seafront mangrove areas, while other mangrove species should also be cultivated based on their habitat preferences (for example, the sea area) Or the wild region), added Prabakaran.

Most mangrove ecosystems possess a diversity of species to tolerate a wide range of salinity and tolerate Ramasubramanian inundation.

“Succession will occur naturally based on environmental conditions. Even in the Indian part of the Sunderbans, the freshwater loving Heritiera fomes is slowly disappearing, and other saltwater tolerant species gradually occupy the area. The Sundarbans mangroves are resilient, and will recover on their own.” Muthupt in Tamil Nadu, the recent Cyclone Gaja had a tremendous impact. Vast tracts of mangrove forests were lost. “It is slowly recovering on its own,” added Ramasubramanian.

Banner photo: Coconut plantations adjacent to mangroves became tidal zone after subsidence and colonized by mangrove forests. Photography by Nehru Prabakaran.

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