World’s mangroves, marshes & coral could be devastated with 2 degree warming: Study

Mangroves, marshes, and sandy coral islands form in the low-lying areas flooded and drained by tides. The research indicates that the coastal habitats of today could adapt to a small degree of rising sea levels. But they could reach a tipping point when sea levels rise more than 1.5 degrees to 2 degrees of global warming.

Mangroves are typically found in tropical regions like in southeast Asia, northern Australia, equatorial Africa and low-latitude Americas. But that is not all. Smaller mangrove colonies can be found elsewhere, like Olympic Park in Sydney and Towra Point in Botany Bay.

Coastal marshes on the other hand, are found in intertidal zones that are further away from the equator, like along the Atlantic shores of North America and Northern Europe. Australia, for example, has one million hectares of coastal marshes.

Both mangroves and tidal marshes act as a kind of buffer between the ocean and the land. They play an important role in preventing erosion by absorbing wave action, preventing erosion. They are also crucial hotspots for biodiversity.

Mangroves and other tidal plants need oxygen down to their roots to survive. They get it when the tide is low and the water drains out. When plants become waterlogged due to global warming, they begin dying out. Scientists have already observed this happening at Sydney Olympic Park.

Reefs form a coastal ecosystem that protects coral islands by stopping powerful wave impacts on the inner livable land. Beyond 2 degrees Celsius of global warming, they will disappear underwater, no longer acting as a protection for coastal ecosystems.