Nature Talks in the Library - Mangroves
Event Details
- Event Date:
- Location: City Library
Dr Jeff Kelleway is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at the University of Wollongong. Jeff and his students conduct research on a variety of wetland types which occur in the coastal zone, including mangroves, saltmarshes and supratidal forests. They investigate the ‘ecosystem services’ which these coastal wetlands provide to humans, including their role as important carbon sinks which can help in fighting climate change. They also research the ways in which climate and sea-level rise are influencing coastal wetlands, and explore the opportunities to improve wetland outcomes in a time of change.
Mangroves are trees that have evolved special traits which allow them to survive and thrive in challenging conditions of tidal inundation and saltwater. Along with their neighbouring saltmarshes, seagrass meadows and supratidal forests, these ecosystems provide essential services in the coastal zone, including protection of shorelines from storms and floods, maintenance of water quality in estuaries, and provision of habitat and food resources for fish, birds and other animals. In recent years, the exceptional capacity of mangroves and other coastal wetlands to naturally draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it deep in their muddy sediments, has also led to growing interest in the contribution of this ‘blue carbon’ to global climate change mitigation efforts.
