1,3,- 1School of Geography and the environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- 2School of natural Sciences, trinity college Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- 3Department of Environmental Science and technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- 4Radar Science and Engineering Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Mangroves help protect coastlines from storms in many regions around the world. However, less is known about how changing storm activities may influence this protection. Using global storm records and a transparent computer model, we examined how cyclone patterns have changed over recent decades. We found that between 1981–2000 and 2001–2020, mangrove exposure to cyclones increased by 13%. Importantly, the type of cyclones affecting mangroves has also changed: slow-moving cyclones have become much more common in the Caribbean, while fast-moving cyclones have increased in East Asia. These changes can affect how mangroves are damaged and how well they can continue to act as natural barriers against storms. Our findings highlight the need to consider changing storm behaviour when using mangroves as nature-based solutions for coastal protection under climate change.
How to cite: Mo, Y., Hall, J., Baldwin, A., Simard, M., and Donohue, I.: Mangroves as natural storm protection: How changing cyclones affect their role, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-2801, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-2801, 2026.
