Prediction of wetland loss due to sea level rise around the largest port area in latin america

Abstract

Santos’s mangroves are important wetlands located in Brazilian coast, a fishing area inside Santos Bay. The overall healthy mangroves area along the riparian zones influencing the Santos Estuary is around 25.20 km2. The resulting tidal level recorded from Port of Santos tide gauge (from 1940 to 2014), also located in the estuary, shows consistent increasing trend. One healthy mangrove was selected for a previous qualitative biological survey to better understand the characteristics of the habitat to be monitored and evaluated about the possible impacts in the next decades. The mangroves situated a few meters upper from the sea level and some other areas have the risk to be submerged till 2085 which will seriously affect the riparian mangroves biome. Indeed, the mangrove area is confined downward by the low tide level and upward by existing structures, roads, rural and urban areas.