Holocene mangrove dynamics and environmental change in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania

Punwong, Paramita; Marchant, Robert; Selby, Katherine

doi:10.1007/s00334-012-0383-x

Cited by 35 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Rufiji Delta was remote from tide gauge records so at all sites relative sea level trends were interpreted from mangrove palaeoecological reconstruction (Ellison and Zouh 2012;Punwong et al 2013;Ellison and Strickland 2013). All primary sites were located in deltaic or estuarine geomorphic settings, with fluvial sediment supply, which was confirmed by high inorganic content in mangrove sediments.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Net long term accretion rates in stratigraphy under central and landward mangroves were found to be 1.1-2.0 mm a -1 , and pollen analysis showed that mangrove zones have not quite kept up with relative sea level rise of 2.1 mm a -1 , with mangrove zones retreating landwards (Ellison and Strickland 2013). In the Rufiji Delta, Punwong et al (2013) showed landward and seaward mangrove stratigraphy to have net accretion rates of 3 mm a -1 , and like Tikina Wai dominated by inorganic sources. At Douala, Cameroon, net accretion rates under mangroves were found to be c. 2.6 mm a -1 (Ellison and Zouh 2012;Ellison, in press).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Rufiji mangroves have some inherent resilience, with a higher tidal range than Cameroon or Fiji, positioned at the delta of a major river with high sediment inputs, and apparently experiencing slight longterm tectonic uplift (Punwong et al 2013). The river catchment is not currently predicted to receive reduced rainfall as a result of climate change, although there is uncertainty (Taylor 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability assessment of mangroves to climate change and sea-level rise impacts

Ellison

2014

Wetlands Ecol Manage

177

115

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Climate change, particularly its associated sea level rise, is major threat to mangrove coastal areas, and it is essential to develop ways to reduce vulnerability through strategic management planning. Vulnerability has three dimensions of exposure to stresses, associated sensitivity, and related adaptive capacity, and ways to measure components of each were trialled at sites in Africa and the South Pacific to develop an analysis procedure based on ranking. The approaches of the ranking system for vulnerability assessment of mangrove systems integrate biotic and abiotic factors along with human management components, using validated methods previously developed for other research questions. These include determining mangrove forest health, adjacent ecosystem resilience, the extent and effects of human impacts, and the environmental conditions of different mangrove settings. Results of the vulnerability assessment ranking using up to 20 measurements found all sites to have some components of vulnerability. Douala Estuary, Cameroon showed the highest vulnerability, owing to low tidal range, impacts from nonclimate stressors, and evidence of moderate seaward edge retreat. Tikina Wai, Fiji showed inherent vulnerability owing to location on a subsiding coastline with a low tidal range, but this was offset by strong local community management capacity. Rufiji Delta, Tanzania showed inherent resilience owing to location on an uplifting coastline with a macrotidal range, but showed vulnerability from human impacts and lower local community management capacity. The most critical components to the vulnerability assessment were found to be exposure components of relative sea level trends and sediment supply, and sensitivity components of forest health, recent spatial changes and net accretion rates. The results provide a baseline against which to establish long-term ongoing monitoring, allowing continued assessment of the complex dynamics of climate change impacts, and providing an information base for strategic management decisions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability assessment of mangroves to climate change and sea-level rise impacts

Ellison

2014

Wetlands Ecol Manage

177

115

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“…Charcoal business received much attention in 1970s as it started to be documented [52] mainly due to lack of central board or agency that could control charcoal production and business [53]. To date about 90% of charcoal transported to Dar es Salaam city for business is not documented [54].…”

Section: Charcoal Businessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future prospect and sustainability of wood fuel resources in Tanzania

Felix

2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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“…The eastern African coast, on the southwestern Indian Ocean, lies in a "far-field" location (Woodroffe and Horton, 2005), considered to be situated at significant distances from ice sheet melting. This implies that isostatic effects from large ice sheets are considered to be minimal in this area (Punwong et al, 2013a). Therefore, it is justifiable to compare our high-resolution pollen record with general sea-level reconstructions (Waelbroeck et al, 2002;Rohling et al, 2009).…”

Section: Expansion Of the Salt Marshes And Mangroves: Deglacial Ecolomentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Hemisphere control of deglacial vegetation changes in the Rufiji uplands (Tanzania)

et al. 2015

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Abstract. In tropical eastern Africa, vegetation distribution is largely controlled by regional hydrology, which has varied over the past 20 000 years. Therefore, accurate reconstructions of past vegetation and hydrological changes are crucial for a better understanding of climate variability in the tropical southeastern African region. We present high-resolution pollen records from a marine sediment core recovered offshore of the Rufiji River delta. Our data document significant shifts in pollen assemblages during the last deglaciation, identifying, through changes in both upland and lowland vegetation, specific responses of plant communities to atmospheric (precipitation) and coastal (coastal dynamics and sea-level changes) alterations. Specifically, arid conditions reflected by a maximum pollen representation of dry and open vegetation occurred during the Northern Hemisphere cold Heinrich event 1 (H1), suggesting that the expansion of drier upland vegetation was synchronous with cold Northern Hemisphere conditions. This arid period is followed by an interval in which forest and humid woodlands expanded, indicating a hydrologic shift towards more humid conditions. Droughts during H1 and the shift to humid conditions around 14.8 kyr BP in the uplands are consistent with latitudinal shifts of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) driven by high-latitude Northern Hemisphere climatic fluctuations. Additionally, our results show that the lowland vegetation, consisting of well-developed salt marshes and mangroves in a successional pattern typical for vegetation occurring in intertidal habitats, has responded mainly to local coastal dynamics related to marine inundation frequencies and soil salinity in the Rufiji Delta as well as to the local moisture availability. Lowland vegetation shows a substantial expansion of mangrove trees after ∼ 14.8 kyr BP, suggesting an increased moisture availability and river runoff in the coastal area. The results of this study highlight the decoupled climatic and environmental processes to which the vegetation in the uplands and the Rufiji Delta has responded during the last deglaciation.

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Holocene mangrove dynamics and environmental change in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania

Cited by 35 publications

References 67 publications

Vulnerability assessment of mangroves to climate change and sea-level rise impacts

Vulnerability assessment of mangroves to climate change and sea-level rise impacts

Future prospect and sustainability of wood fuel resources in Tanzania

Northern Hemisphere control of deglacial vegetation changes in the Rufiji uplands (Tanzania)

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