Estimativa do fluxo de CO2 na floresta de mangue Foz do Rio Mamanguape – PB, Brasil

Abstract

Mangrove forests occupy tropical, subtropical and temperate coastal zones. They are recognized as good bioindicators of environmental changes and provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including carbon capture and storage, which gain global importance in the face of climate change. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of different mangrove forest densities in carbon capture and storage at Mamanguape River estuary, Paraíba, Brazil. In view of this, a mapping of the mangrove forest in an area of relevant ecological interest (ARIE) was realized using an image analysis and a massive collection of Sentinel-2B images. The images were processed to estimate and classify mangrove forest density, photosynthetic efficiency and estimate the CO2 flux of different densities through vegetation indices (IVDN, PRI, sPRI and CO2flux). The results showed that most of the forest is covered by dense vegetation (95.7%), being responsible for 59.9% of the absorption of atmospheric CO2. Photosynthetic efficiency and CO2 flux showed higher values towards the upper estuarine zone. The high values of vegetation indices indicated a healthy and preserved mangrove forest. This study contributed to expanding knowledge about CO2 estimates in mangroves on the semi-arid coast of Brazil, since these coastal ecosystems in this area are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.