Abstract
Mangroves are globally important blue-carbon ecosystems, yet their resilience is
threatened by extreme weather events and hydrological alterations. In
southeastern Mexico, a large mangrove die-off occurred in 1995 following
Hurricane Roxanne and Tropical Storm Opal, linked to storm-surge–driven
hypersalinity, sedimentation, and prolonged flooding. In 2005, an ecological
restoration program was launched in the Términos Lagoon region, focusing on
hydrological rehabilitation and reforestation with Avicennia germinans. Fourteen
years later, we assessed ecosystem recovery by quantifying total ecosystem
carbon stocks (TECS), defined as the sum of 0–50-cm soil organic carbon and
tree biomass carbon, across conserved, degraded, and restored sites, and by
reconstructing vegetation cover dynamics from multi-decadal satellite imagery
(1984–2023). TECS differed markedly among conditions: The restored site
accumulated 286.0 ± 32.6 Mg C ha−
¹ (83% of the conserved site), whereas
degraded sites stored only 133.0 ± 26.8 Mg C ha−
¹. The increase in TECS at the
restored site was primarily associated with enhanced soil organic carbon stocks,
consistent with improved hydroperiod, recovery of interstitial water
physicochemical conditions, and renewed autochthonous organic matter
inputs following hydrological reconnection and initial reforestation. Biomass
carbon remained lower at the restored site, reflecting younger stand age,
although vegetation indices indicated rapid canopy recovery within 7 years of
the intervention. These results show that hydrological rehabilitation can
substantially re establish long-term carbon storage capacity in hurricane impacted mangroves and highlight the need for sustained monitoring to
evaluate ecosystem service recovery and guide climate mitigation and coastal
resilience strategies.
threatened by extreme weather events and hydrological alterations. In
southeastern Mexico, a large mangrove die-off occurred in 1995 following
Hurricane Roxanne and Tropical Storm Opal, linked to storm-surge–driven
hypersalinity, sedimentation, and prolonged flooding. In 2005, an ecological
restoration program was launched in the Términos Lagoon region, focusing on
hydrological rehabilitation and reforestation with Avicennia germinans. Fourteen
years later, we assessed ecosystem recovery by quantifying total ecosystem
carbon stocks (TECS), defined as the sum of 0–50-cm soil organic carbon and
tree biomass carbon, across conserved, degraded, and restored sites, and by
reconstructing vegetation cover dynamics from multi-decadal satellite imagery
(1984–2023). TECS differed markedly among conditions: The restored site
accumulated 286.0 ± 32.6 Mg C ha−
¹ (83% of the conserved site), whereas
degraded sites stored only 133.0 ± 26.8 Mg C ha−
¹. The increase in TECS at the
restored site was primarily associated with enhanced soil organic carbon stocks,
consistent with improved hydroperiod, recovery of interstitial water
physicochemical conditions, and renewed autochthonous organic matter
inputs following hydrological reconnection and initial reforestation. Biomass
carbon remained lower at the restored site, reflecting younger stand age,
although vegetation indices indicated rapid canopy recovery within 7 years of
the intervention. These results show that hydrological rehabilitation can
substantially re establish long-term carbon storage capacity in hurricane impacted mangroves and highlight the need for sustained monitoring to
evaluate ecosystem service recovery and guide climate mitigation and coastal
resilience strategies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1722651 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Volume | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Jan 2026 |
