Mangrove forest

A coastal forest of salt-tolerant trees and shrubs growing in intertidal zones, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Its plants endure salt, shifting tides, and waterlogged, oxygen-poor soils.

Mangrove root: A specialized root of a mangrove plant that supports the tree, exchanges gases, or filters salt. Stilt roots and aerial roots help trees remain anchored and obtain oxygen in flooded sediment.
Coastal protection: The reduction of coastal erosion, flooding, and wave impacts through natural or engineered barriers. Mangrove roots and trunks dissipate wave energy and help stabilize shorelines.
Intertidal zone: The coastal area alternately exposed and submerged by tides. Mangrove forests occupy shorelines repeatedly flooded and uncovered by tidal cycles.
Mangrove deforestation: The clearing or conversion of mangrove forests for other land uses. Aquaculture, agriculture, and coastal development have removed mangroves in many regions.
Sundarbans: A vast mangrove region spanning the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh and India. Its tidal forests exemplify large, river-fed mangrove systems and face cyclone and sea-level risks.
Pneumatophore: An upward-growing root that projects above waterlogged soil and enables gas exchange. These aerial roots supply oxygen to submerged root systems in anoxic mud.
Blue carbon: Carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems. Mangrove sediments can retain large amounts of organic carbon over long periods.
Estuary: A coastal water body where river freshwater mixes with seawater. Many mangroves grow in estuaries, where salinity and sediment vary with tides and river flow.
Mangrove dieback: The widespread decline or death of mangrove trees in a coastal area. Drought, heat, altered freshwater flows, and other stresses can cause forest mortality.
Everglades: A subtropical wetland region in southern Florida, including extensive mangrove shorelines. Its mangroves form part of a connected coastal wetland mosaic.

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