The ecological and economic importance of mangroves is highly recognized in Asia, especially after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Nicobar archipelago that sustained greater damage due to the 2004 tsunami and subsidence provides a unique case to the tsunami-related mangrove literature. We analyzed the trends in mangrove vegetation recovery from two severely impacted sites (one each with and without remnant vegetation) in the Nicobar archipelago using vegetation data collected during two field seasons (2010–2011 and 2019) and long-term satellite remote sensing data (2004 – 2019). We found that the recovery rates in terms of stem density and vegetation cover were much higher in the site with remnant vegetation compared to the site without remnant vegetation. Especially, the vegetation recovery rates were higher in the landward mangrove zone compared to the seaward mangrove zone. The species composition especially in the landward zones has changed drastically during the study period. Rhizophora mucronata dominated the seaward zone of both the sites, while Lumitzera racemosa, L. littorea, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, and Sonneratia alba dominated the landward zones. The geomorphology of study sites seems to play a critical role in the landward transgression process of mangroves. Long-term ecological monitoring in the study sites inclusive of mangrove fauna and soil processes can greatly enhance the knowledge on mangrove recovery fol-lowing this unique natural disturbance. Moreover, such an approach can provide much-needed insights for the management and restoration of the ecologically and economically important mangrove ecosystems.
Prabakaran N., Bayyana S., Vetter K. and Reuter H. (2021) Mangrove recovery in the Nicobar archipelago after the 2004 tsunami and coastal subsidence. Regional Environmental Change 21(3). 10.1007/s10113-021-01811-0
@article{Prabakaran2021,
Title = {Mangrove recovery in the Nicobar archipelago after the 2004 tsunami and coastal subsidence},
Author = {Prabakaran, Nehru and Bayyana, Sharad and Vetter, Kai and Reuter, Hauke},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Regional Environmental Change},
Year = {2021},
Volume = {21},
Doi = {10.1007/s10113-021-01811-0},
Abstract = {The ecological and economic importance of mangroves is highly recognized in Asia, especially after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Nicobar archipelago that sustained greater damage due to the 2004 tsunami and subsidence provides a unique case to the tsunami-related mangrove literature. We analyzed the trends in mangrove vegetation recovery from two severely impacted sites (one each with and without remnant vegetation) in the Nicobar archipelago using vegetation data collected during two field seasons (2010–2011 and 2019) and long-term satellite remote sensing data (2004 – 2019). We found that the recovery rates in terms of stem density and vegetation cover were much higher in the site with remnant vegetation compared to the site without remnant vegetation. Especially, the vegetation recovery rates were higher in the landward mangrove zone compared to the seaward mangrove zone. The species composition especially in the landward zones has changed drastically during the study period. Rhizophora mucronata dominated the seaward zone of both the sites, while Lumitzera racemosa, L. littorea, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, and Sonneratia alba dominated the landward zones. The geomorphology of study sites seems to play a critical role in the landward transgression process of mangroves. Long-term ecological monitoring in the study sites inclusive of mangrove fauna and soil processes can greatly enhance the knowledge on mangrove recovery fol-lowing this unique natural disturbance. Moreover, such an approach can provide much-needed insights for the management and restoration of the ecologically and economically important mangrove ecosystems.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Prabakaran, Nehru
AU - Bayyana, Sharad
AU - Vetter, Kai
AU - Reuter, Hauke
TI - Mangrove recovery in the Nicobar archipelago after the 2004 tsunami and coastal subsidence
T2 - Regional Environmental Change
PY - 2021
VL - 21
DO - 10.1007/s10113-021-01811-0
AB - The ecological and economic importance of mangroves is highly recognized in Asia, especially after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Nicobar archipelago that sustained greater damage due to the 2004 tsunami and subsidence provides a unique case to the tsunami-related mangrove literature. We analyzed the trends in mangrove vegetation recovery from two severely impacted sites (one each with and without remnant vegetation) in the Nicobar archipelago using vegetation data collected during two field seasons (2010–2011 and 2019) and long-term satellite remote sensing data (2004 – 2019). We found that the recovery rates in terms of stem density and vegetation cover were much higher in the site with remnant vegetation compared to the site without remnant vegetation. Especially, the vegetation recovery rates were higher in the landward mangrove zone compared to the seaward mangrove zone. The species composition especially in the landward zones has changed drastically during the study period. Rhizophora mucronata dominated the seaward zone of both the sites, while Lumitzera racemosa, L. littorea, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, and Sonneratia alba dominated the landward zones. The geomorphology of study sites seems to play a critical role in the landward transgression process of mangroves. Long-term ecological monitoring in the study sites inclusive of mangrove fauna and soil processes can greatly enhance the knowledge on mangrove recovery fol-lowing this unique natural disturbance. Moreover, such an approach can provide much-needed insights for the management and restoration of the ecologically and economically important mangrove ecosystems.
ER -
