Alex Morrison

Mangroves could store less carbon – and even begin releasing it – as sea levels rise, new research suggests.

Mangroves are made up of salt-tolerant plants that grow in coastal areas. They cover less than 1% of Earth’s surface but store about 15% of all ocean carbon, most of it in their soils. This ability to store carbon makes them important in efforts to limit climate change.

Previous research has suggested rising seas could increase carbon storage in mangroves, but the new study challenges this.

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The findings show that, while carbon storage might increase in localised spots as sea levels rise, storage at the scale of whole forests is likely to decline over the next 100 years.

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