Mangrove Microclimate: A Case Study from Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

A mangrove is a transitional coastal ecosystem between marine and terrestrial environments that is characterized by salinity and constant tidal flooding. Mangroves contain plant communities that are adapted to several physical constraints, including the climate. The purpose of this study was to analyze the variations in climatic attributes (air temperature, relative air humidity, global solar radiation, wind, and rainfall) in the mangroves located in the municipality of Iguape, on the southern coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In addition, it was determined whether the existing variation is related to the presence of the canopy environment. A microclimate tower was installed with two weather stations to obtain an analysis of the variation of the climatic attributes above and below the canopy. The results indicate that global solar radiation had an average transmissivity of 26.8%. The air temperature at 10 m was higher than that at the sensor at 2 m. The average rainfall interception for the mangrove environment was 19.6%. Both the maximum gust and average wind speed decreased by approximately 63.7% at 2 m. The mangrove canopy was found to be an important control on the variation of climatic attributes. On a microclimatic scale, the climate attributes had a direct influence on the spatial

Análise microclimática de manguezais em Unidades de Conservação de Proteção Integral e de Uso Sustentável

“…O microclima vem sendo estudado como um indicador de que alterações estão ocorrendo na estrutura do manguezal, em sua borda e no interior de seu ecossistema. Aliado a isso, o estudo das variáveis microclimáticas pode ainda contribuir para a compreensão da importância dos manguezais em caso de tempestades e eventos extremos em uma escala local LIMA, 2010;BESERRA DE LIMA; …”

Functional traits of selected mangrove species in Brazil as biological indicators of different environmental conditions

“…Furthermore, pollution, produced by organic waste or heavy metals, may change the concentration of certain elements and modify the bioavailability of nutrients (Laing et al, 2009;Pan and Wang, 2012). In addition to edaphic factors, solar radiation also varies, primarily due to the spatial distribution of vegetation and the characteristics of the canopy (Lima and Galvani, 2013). Variation in environmental factors can thus lead to adaptive responses by the plants (Feller et al, 2010).…”

Oceanography and Marine Biology

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