Hydrology and Biogeochemistry of Terra Firme Lowland Tropical Forests

Abstract

Situated at the interface between land and sea, the structure and function of mangrove forests, perhaps more than any other forest type, are closely linked to hydrology. For a part of every day, tidal waters flood and ebb through these coastal forests of low latitudes, and in most locations are influenced by waves and other circulatory processes. The pantropical distribution of mangroves is delimited by the major ocean currents and the 20C winter isotherm of seawater. Mangroves are limited globally by temperature but rainfall, tides, waves, and river flow are of fundamental importance at the regional and local scale.