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Surface Elevation Change and Susceptibility of Different Mangrove Zones to Sea-Level Rise on Pacific High Islands of Micronesia

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Abstract

Mangroves on Pacific high islands offer a number of important ecosystem services to both natural ecological communities and human societies. High islands are subjected to constant erosion over geologic time, which establishes an important source of terrigeneous sediment for nearby marine communities. Many of these sediments are deposited in mangrove forests and offer mangroves a potentially important means for adjusting surface elevation with rising sea level. In this study, we investigated sedimentation and elevation dynamics of mangrove forests in three hydrogeomorphic settings on the islands of Kosrae and Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Surface accretion rates ranged from 2.9 to 20.8 mm y−1, and are high for naturally occurring mangroves. Although mangrove forests in Micronesian high islands appear to have a strong capacity to offset elevation losses by way of sedimentation, elevation change over 6½ years ranged from −3.2 to 4.1 mm y−1, depending on the location. Mangrove surface elevation change also varied by hydrogeomorphic setting and river, and suggested differential, and not uniformly bleak, susceptibilities among Pacific high island mangroves to sea-level rise. Fringe, riverine, and interior settings registered elevation changes of −1.30, 0.46, and 1.56 mm y−1, respectively, with the greatest elevation deficit (−3.2 mm y−1) from a fringe zone on Pohnpei and the highest rate of elevation gain (4.1 mm y−1) from an interior zone on Kosrae. Relative to sea-level rise estimates for FSM (0.8–1.8 mm y−1) and assuming a consistent linear trend in these estimates, soil elevations in mangroves on Kosrae and Pohnpei are experiencing between an annual deficit of 4.95 mm and an annual surplus of 3.28 mm. Although natural disturbances are important in mediating elevation gain in some situations, constant allochthonous sediment deposition probably matters most on these Pacific high islands, and is especially helpful in certain hydrogeomorphic zones. Fringe mangrove forests are most susceptible to sea-level rise, such that protection of these outer zones from anthropogenic disturbances (for example, harvesting) may slow the rate at which these zones convert to open water.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Erick E. Waguk, Robert D. Hauff, Judy Z. Drexler, Charles Brush, Cheyenne H. Perry, Tara Tara, Jason Jack, Killion Isisaki, Thomas G. Cole, Moses Palik, John Silbanuz, Walter Peter, Rosento Fredrick, and Saimon Lihpai for assistance with logistics, installation, and/or measurements. We thank Fr. Joseph Billotti and Fr. Greg Muckenhaupt at the Ponape Agriculture and Trade School for providing accommodations for our visits to Pohnpei. We also thank Karen L. McKee, Camille L. Stagg, and Catherine E. Lovelock for peer reviews of this manuscript; Kevin R.T. Whelan, Neil Saintilan, Kerrylee Rogers, and Philippe Hensel for assistance with Table 2; and Darren J. Johnson and Philippe Hensel for assistance with the statistical analyses. The USGS Climate Change Science Program facilitated the production of this manuscript by supporting the two senior authors. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Author notes

  1. Nicole Cormier

    Present address: U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, 700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, Louisiana, 70506, USA

  2. James A. Allen

    Present address: School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 15018, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA

  3. Katherine C. Ewel

    Present address: School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, 60 Nowelo Street, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, USA

    Ken W. Krauss, James A. Allen, Katherine C. Ewel & Nicole Cormier

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, BARC-EAST Building #308, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705, USA

    Donald R. Cahoon & James C. Lynch

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, 700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, Louisiana, 70506, USA

    Ken W. Krauss

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  1. Ken W. Krauss
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Correspondence to Ken W. Krauss.

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Author Contributions

K.W.K. was involved with installation, re-measurement, and analysis of the study, and served as its primary author. D.R.C. and J.A.A. designed and implemented the study. K.C.E. allocated funding for the project, participated in implementation, and oversaw the larger Micronesia research program of which this study was a part. J.C.L. and N.C. assisted with study establishment, graphical analysis, troubleshooting, and re-measurement. D.R.C., J.A.A., and K.C.E. all contributed to the intellectual content and writing of the paper.

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Krauss, K.W., Cahoon, D.R., Allen, J.A. et al. Surface Elevation Change and Susceptibility of Different Mangrove Zones to Sea-Level Rise on Pacific High Islands of Micronesia. Ecosystems 13, 129–143 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-009-9307-8

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