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Mangroves are the most blue-carbon rich coastal wetlands contributing to the reduction of atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis (sequestration) and high soil organic carbon (C) storage. Globally, mangroves are increasingly impacted by human and natural disturbances under climate warming, including pervasive pulsing tropical cyclones. However, there is limited information assessing cyclone’s functional role in regulating wetlands carbon cycling from annual to decadal scales. Here we show how cyclones with a wide range of integrated kinetic energy (IKE) impact C fluxes in the Everglades, a neotropical region with high cyclone landing frequency. Using long-term mangrove Net Primary Productivity (Litterfall, NPPL) data (2001–2018), we estimated cyclone-induced litterfall particulate organic C (litter-POC) export from mangroves to estuarine waters. Our analysis revealed that this lateral litter-POC flux (71–205 g C m−2 year−1)—currently unaccounted in global C budgets—is similar to C burial rates (69–157 g C m−2 year−1) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC, 61–229 g C m−2 year−1) export. We proposed a statistical model (PULITER) between IKE-based pulse index and NPPL to determine cyclone’s impact on mangrove role as C sink or source. Including the cyclone’s functional role in regulating mangrove C fluxes is critical to developing local and regional climate change mitigation plans.
Xiaochen Zhao; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Luis M. Farfán; Henry Briceño; Edward Castañeda-Moya; Rafael Travieso; Evelyn E. Gaiser. Tropical cyclones cumulatively control regional carbon fluxes in Everglades mangrove wetlands (Florida, USA). Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 13927 .
AMA StyleXiaochen Zhao, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Luis M. Farfán, Henry Briceño, Edward Castañeda-Moya, Rafael Travieso, Evelyn E. Gaiser. Tropical cyclones cumulatively control regional carbon fluxes in Everglades mangrove wetlands (Florida, USA). Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1):13927.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiaochen Zhao; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Luis M. Farfán; Henry Briceño; Edward Castañeda-Moya; Rafael Travieso; Evelyn E. Gaiser. 2021. "Tropical cyclones cumulatively control regional carbon fluxes in Everglades mangrove wetlands (Florida, USA)." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1: 13927.
Hydrology is a critical driver controlling mangrove wetlands structural and functional attributes at different spatial and temporal scales. Yet, human activities have negatively affected hydrology, causing mangrove diebacks and coverage loss worldwide. In fact, the assessment of mangrove water budgets, impacted by natural and human disturbances, is limited due to a lack of long-term data and information that hinders our understanding of how changes in hydroperiod and salinity control mangrove productivity and spatial distribution. In this study, we implemented a mass balance-based hydrological model (RHYMAN) that explicitly considers groundwater discharge in the Shark River estuary (SRE, southwestern Everglades) located in a karstic geomorphic setting and influenced by regional hydrological restoration. We used long-term hydroperiod and porewater salinity (PWS) datasets obtained from 2004 to 2016 for model calibration and validation and to determine spatiotemporal variability in water levels and PWS at three riverine mangrove sites (downstream, SRS-6; midstream, SRS-5; upstream, SRS-4) along SRE. Model results agree with a distinct PWS pattern along the estuarine salinity gradient where the highest PWS occurs at SRS-6 (mean: 25, range: 22–30 ppt), followed by SRS-5 (17, 14–25 ppt) and SRS-4 (5, 3–13 ppt). A commensurate increase in PWS over a thirteen-year period indicates a long-term reduction in freshwater inflow coupled with sea-level rise (SLR). Increasing freshwater scenario simulation results show a significant reduction (17–27%) in PWS along the estuary in contrast with a high SLR scenario when salinity increases up to 1.1 to 2.5 times that of control values. Model results show that freshwater inflow and SLR are key drivers controlling mangrove wetlands PWS in this karstic coastal region. Given its relatively simple structure, this mass balance-based hydrological model could be used in other environmental settings to evaluate potential habitat and regime shifts due to changes in hydrology and PWS under regional hydrological restoration management.
Xiaochen Zhao; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Hongqing Wang; Z George Xue; Cheng-Feng Tsai; Clinton S. Willson; Edward Castañeda-Moya; Robert R. Twilley. Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate. Ecological Modelling 2020, 436, 109292 .
AMA StyleXiaochen Zhao, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Hongqing Wang, Z George Xue, Cheng-Feng Tsai, Clinton S. Willson, Edward Castañeda-Moya, Robert R. Twilley. Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate. Ecological Modelling. 2020; 436 ():109292.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiaochen Zhao; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Hongqing Wang; Z George Xue; Cheng-Feng Tsai; Clinton S. Willson; Edward Castañeda-Moya; Robert R. Twilley. 2020. "Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate." Ecological Modelling 436, no. : 109292.
Hurricanes are recurring high-energy disturbances in coastal regions that change community structure and function of mangrove wetlands. However, most of the studies assessing hurricane impacts on mangroves have focused on negative effects without considering the positive influence of hurricane-induced sediment deposition and associated nutrient fertilization on mangrove productivity and resilience. Here, we quantified how Hurricane Irma influenced soil nutrient pools, vertical accretion, and plant phosphorus (P) uptake after its passage across the Florida Coastal Everglades in September 2017. Vertical accretion from Irma’s deposits was 6.7 to 14.4 times greater than the long-term (100 y) annual accretion rate (0.27 ± 0.04 cm y−1). Storm deposits extended up to 10-km inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Total P (TP) inputs were highest at the mouth of estuaries, with P concentration double that of underlying surface (top 10 cm) soils (0.19 ± 0.02 mg cm−3). This P deposition contributed 49 to 98% to the soil nutrient pool. As a result, all mangrove species showed a significant increase in litter foliar TP and soil porewater inorganic P concentrations in early 2018, 3 mo after Irma’s impact, thus underscoring the interspecies differences in nutrient uptake. Mean TP loading rates were five times greater in southwestern (94 ± 13 kg ha−1d−1) mangrove-dominated estuaries compared to the southeastern region, highlighting the positive role of hurricanes as a natural fertilization mechanism influencing forest productivity. P-rich, mineral sediments deposited by hurricanes create legacies that facilitate rapid forest recovery, stimulation of peat soil development, and resilience to sea-level rise.
Edward Castañeda-Moya; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Randolph M. Chambers; Xiaochen Zhao; Lukas Lamb-Wotton; Adrianna Gorsky; Evelyn E. Gaiser; Tiffany G. Troxler; John S. Kominoski; Matthew Hiatt. Hurricanes fertilize mangrove forests in the Gulf of Mexico (Florida Everglades, USA). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2020, 117, 4831 -4841.
AMA StyleEdward Castañeda-Moya, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Randolph M. Chambers, Xiaochen Zhao, Lukas Lamb-Wotton, Adrianna Gorsky, Evelyn E. Gaiser, Tiffany G. Troxler, John S. Kominoski, Matthew Hiatt. Hurricanes fertilize mangrove forests in the Gulf of Mexico (Florida Everglades, USA). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020; 117 (9):4831-4841.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward Castañeda-Moya; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Randolph M. Chambers; Xiaochen Zhao; Lukas Lamb-Wotton; Adrianna Gorsky; Evelyn E. Gaiser; Tiffany G. Troxler; John S. Kominoski; Matthew Hiatt. 2020. "Hurricanes fertilize mangrove forests in the Gulf of Mexico (Florida Everglades, USA)." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 9: 4831-4841.
Coastal Louisiana hosts 37% of the coastal wetland area in the conterminous US, including one of the deltaic coastal regions more susceptible to the synergy of human and natural impacts causing wetland loss. As a result of the construction of flood protection infrastructure, dredging of channels across wetlands for oil/gas exploration and maritime transport activities, coastal Louisiana has lost approximately 4900 km2 of wetland area since the early 1930s. Despite the economic relevance of both wetland biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) as ecosystem services, there is a lack of vegetation simulation models to forecast the trends of those functional attributes at the landscape level as hydrological restoration projects are implemented. Here, we review the availability of peer-reviewed biomass and NPP wetland data (below and aboveground) published during the period 1976–2015 for use in the development, calibration and validation of high spatial resolution (
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Courtney Elliton; Siddhartha Narra; Ehab Meselhe; Xiaochen Zhao; Eric White; Charles E. Sasser; Jenneke M. Visser; Xuelian Meng; Hongqing Wang; Zuo Xue; Fernando Jaramillo; Rivera- Monroy; Zhao; Meng; Wang; Xue. Wetland Biomass and Productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base Line Data (1976–2015) and Knowledge Gaps for the Development of Spatially Explicit Models for Ecosystem Restoration and Rehabilitation Initiatives. Water 2019, 11, 2054 .
AMA StyleVictor H. Rivera-Monroy, Courtney Elliton, Siddhartha Narra, Ehab Meselhe, Xiaochen Zhao, Eric White, Charles E. Sasser, Jenneke M. Visser, Xuelian Meng, Hongqing Wang, Zuo Xue, Fernando Jaramillo, Rivera- Monroy, Zhao, Meng, Wang, Xue. Wetland Biomass and Productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base Line Data (1976–2015) and Knowledge Gaps for the Development of Spatially Explicit Models for Ecosystem Restoration and Rehabilitation Initiatives. Water. 2019; 11 (10):2054.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVictor H. Rivera-Monroy; Courtney Elliton; Siddhartha Narra; Ehab Meselhe; Xiaochen Zhao; Eric White; Charles E. Sasser; Jenneke M. Visser; Xuelian Meng; Hongqing Wang; Zuo Xue; Fernando Jaramillo; Rivera- Monroy; Zhao; Meng; Wang; Xue. 2019. "Wetland Biomass and Productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base Line Data (1976–2015) and Knowledge Gaps for the Development of Spatially Explicit Models for Ecosystem Restoration and Rehabilitation Initiatives." Water 11, no. 10: 2054.
Mangrove wetlands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in coastal zones, and are being degraded globally at a high rate due to human activities. Impoverished and vulnerable populations living in rural coastal areas in subtropical and tropical latitudes tend to be most directly dependent on ecosystem services and hence are directly affected by the degradation of mangrove wetlands and other coastal resources. We formed an interdisciplinary and international team of researchers, students, and professionals to understand the linkages between poverty traps and mangrove ecosystem services in coastal Tanzania, thus informing and contributing to institutional efforts to resolve and avoid these traps. This chapter analyzes the nature of this coupled natural-human system, assesses the challenges to implement an interdisciplinary research agenda as a team, and underscores the practical strategies to overcome those challenges.
Emi Uchida; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Sara A. Ates; Edward Castaneda; Arthur J. Gold; Todd Guilfoos; Mario F. Hernandez; Razack Lokina; Mwita Mangora; Stephen R. Midway; Catherine McNally; Michael J. Polito; Matthew Robertson; Robert V. Rohli; Hirotsugu Uchida; Lindsey West; Xiaochen Zhao. Collaborative Research Across Boundaries: Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Poverty Traps as a Coupled Natural-Human System. Collaboration Across Boundaries for Social-Ecological Systems Science 2019, 115 -152.
AMA StyleEmi Uchida, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Sara A. Ates, Edward Castaneda, Arthur J. Gold, Todd Guilfoos, Mario F. Hernandez, Razack Lokina, Mwita Mangora, Stephen R. Midway, Catherine McNally, Michael J. Polito, Matthew Robertson, Robert V. Rohli, Hirotsugu Uchida, Lindsey West, Xiaochen Zhao. Collaborative Research Across Boundaries: Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Poverty Traps as a Coupled Natural-Human System. Collaboration Across Boundaries for Social-Ecological Systems Science. 2019; ():115-152.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEmi Uchida; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Sara A. Ates; Edward Castaneda; Arthur J. Gold; Todd Guilfoos; Mario F. Hernandez; Razack Lokina; Mwita Mangora; Stephen R. Midway; Catherine McNally; Michael J. Polito; Matthew Robertson; Robert V. Rohli; Hirotsugu Uchida; Lindsey West; Xiaochen Zhao. 2019. "Collaborative Research Across Boundaries: Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Poverty Traps as a Coupled Natural-Human System." Collaboration Across Boundaries for Social-Ecological Systems Science , no. : 115-152.
Mangrove wetlands along coastal regions in neotropical northern latitudes are exposed to frequent hurricanes and therefore depend on resistant and resilient attributes to persist after these extreme events. However, few long-term studies have documented mangrove forest dynamics following hurricane disturbance to determine how species-specific phenotypic plasticity, species range shifts, and environmental stress interact to determine recovery trajectories. We present here a comprehensive analysis of Hurricane Wilma’s (hereafter, “Wilma”) impact (category 3, October 2005) on mangrove forest demography and aboveground net productivity in the Everglades, Florida (USA). We determined spatiotemporal patterns over a 15-year period (5 pre- and 10 post-Wilma) in three impacted sites on a productivity gradient along the Shark River Estuary. Hurricane resistance was evident in the low cumulative tree mortality and long-term recovery from defoliation (∼10 years). Aboveground standing carbon stocks were not significantly reduced, as mortality ranged only from 3 to 10%. A negative linear relationship between Leaf Net Primary Productivity (NPPL) and foliar residence time along the estuary shows that an increase in foliar production results in shorter residence time, which is defined by the interannual variation in NPPL rates and recovery periods across sites. We propose this relationship as a proxy of canopy recovery in latitudinal comparative studies across mangrove ecotypes and coastal settings. This work advances ecological disturbance theory and ecological modeling of mangrove forests; specifically, we provide quantitative relationships among structural properties and dynamic processes to validate agent-based demographic and biogeochemical models to forecast the impact of natural and human disturbances on mangrove wetlands under climate change.
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy; Tess M. Danielson; Edward Castaneda; Brian D. Marx; Rafael Travieso; Xiaochen Zhao; Evelyn Gaiser; Luis M. Farfan. Long-term demography and stem productivity of Everglades mangrove forests (Florida, USA): Resistance to hurricane disturbance. Forest Ecology and Management 2019, 440, 79 -91.
AMA StyleVictor H. Rivera-Monroy, Tess M. Danielson, Edward Castaneda, Brian D. Marx, Rafael Travieso, Xiaochen Zhao, Evelyn Gaiser, Luis M. Farfan. Long-term demography and stem productivity of Everglades mangrove forests (Florida, USA): Resistance to hurricane disturbance. Forest Ecology and Management. 2019; 440 ():79-91.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVictor H. Rivera-Monroy; Tess M. Danielson; Edward Castaneda; Brian D. Marx; Rafael Travieso; Xiaochen Zhao; Evelyn Gaiser; Luis M. Farfan. 2019. "Long-term demography and stem productivity of Everglades mangrove forests (Florida, USA): Resistance to hurricane disturbance." Forest Ecology and Management 440, no. : 79-91.