Coastal Habitats and Global Climate Change

8/14/2019 Coastal Habitats and Global Climate Change

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Coastal Habitats (Coral reef, Mangrove and Seagrass)and Global Climate Change

University of the Ryukyus

Andi Septiana, Rashila Deshar, Ratu Timoci Turagayawa Koliyavu,Sahadev Sharma, Wu Min


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Coastal habitats - above spring high tide limit (or above mean water level in non-tidal waters); characterized by their proximity to the sea, including coastal dunesand wooded coastal dunes, beaches and cliffs.

Coral Reefs are the rainforest of ocean.

Mangroves are the backbone of the tropical ocean coastline.

Seagrasses are the coal mine canaries of coastal ecosystems.


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Inter-relationship or Mutual Benefits between Mangroves, Sea grass and

Coral Reef Ecosystems


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$375 billion in environment-al goods and services

Reefs at Risk 1998(http://www.wri.org/powerpo

ints/reefswww/sld011.htm

Economic Benefits

Coral reef

Tropical forest

Temperate forest


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Caribbean reef values(annual net benefits in 2000)

Dive tourism: $2.1 billion

Shoreline protection: $0.7-2.2 billion

Fisheries: $310 million


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Mangroves and their Ecological and economic Products

Source: Modified from Berjak et al. 1977.


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The 40,000 hectares of managed mangrove forest in Matang,

West Malaysia yield $10 million in timber and charcoal and

over $100 million in fish and prawns every year.

Economic Value of Mangroves

Economic valuation of ecosystems needs to be treated with

caution but annual values per km2 have been calculated at

US$100 000-600 000 for reefs and US$200 000-900 000 for

mangroves. (UNEP Report 2006)


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Seagrasses often support diverse and abundant

assemblages of small fishes and invertebrates.

Seagrasses are collected as fertilizer for sandy soil.

Seagrass is also used for making mattress,furniture, bag and woven like rattan.

Seagrass and its Ecological and Economic Benefits


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Climate ChangeClimate change is the change in average weather over time

and over a region. Climate change includes changes in

temperature, wind patterns and precipitation.

In terms of global climate change, environmental factors thatare expected to have the greatest direct effects on coastalhabitats are temperature change, sea-level rise, availability ofwater from precipitation and runoff, wind patterns, andstorminess.


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Global Air Temperature Anomaly


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Rising seas, more stormsPopulation shifts & viability

There is no steady state in the ocean


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H2O +CO

2H

2CO

3H+ +HCO32H+ + CO32-

Lowers pH of ocean

CaCO3 dissolves or doesnt form properlyCaCO3 shells, casings, skeletons affected

H2O +CO

2+ CaCO32HCO3 + Ca

2+

Kleypas et al.,Science, 1999


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Mass Coral Bleaching 1997-1998

Red dots show areas with

most severe coral bleaching

NOAA sea surface temperatureanomalies for January 1998

Coral Bleaching

(Loss of zooxanthellae)


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Coral Reef Bleaching in Okinawa, Japan(2001)

The multi-year in-situwater temperature time

series figure shows that

temperatures at a site

in the region during

July and August of 2001

were much higher thanthe previous 4 years

(even the previous

record-bleaching 1998

event) and verifies our

satellite SSTs.


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HURRICANE IMPACT


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Climate change and SeagrassesRising sea levels are likely to destabilise the marine environment andcause seagrass losses.

Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in seawater could increase thearea of seagrass because more carbon will be available for growth andseagrasses could increase their photosynthetic rates.

Rising sea temperatures could cause burning or death of seagrasses insome places where they are close to their thermal limit. (Seagrass Burning)

In 2002, seagrasses were lost and burnt from some areas in theWhitsundays, Shoalwater Bay, Green Island and Weipa.

Deepwater seagrasses could be impacted by the reduction in lightcaused by coastal run-off.

http://www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/brochures/CRC_Reef_seagrass_web.pdf


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Coastal habitats are disappearing at a rate of between 1.2% and 9% a year and

are now the biosphere's most imperiled systems, with rates of loss 4 to 10 timesfaster than those of the tropical rainforest.

Stresses due to Climate Change on Coastal Habitats

Some 30 per cent of reefs are already seriously damaged and 60 per centcould be lost by 2030. (Wilkinson, 2004).

An estimated 35 per cent of the worlds original mangrove cover has alreadygone, with some countries having lost up to 80 per cent.

"Over the last decade 290,000ha of seagrass loss have been documented.Projecting the rate to undocumented parts of the world, over 1.2million ha ofseagrass have likely been lost." Short, F.T., & Wyllie-Echeverria, S. 2000.


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Conservation and Management of Coastal Habitats

How do we protect our coastal habitats with the least disruption tostatus quo?

Plan for the climate variability

Planning Approaches

The remaining coastal habitats should be protected.

The most cost effective long-term strategy.

Restoration of coastal habitats


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Protect coastal habitat from development and otherdestructive activities through acquisition and regulatory

programs (especially beaches and dunes, mangroves, coralreefs, seagrasses and salt marsh.

Cost share and technical advice programs to restore erodedor impacted habitat giving preference to long-term vs. short-

term fixes.

Protect our remaining coastal habitats


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Thank You

Coastal Habitats and Global Climate Change

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