Impactos da elevação do nível médio do mar sobre o ecossistema manguezal: a contribuição do sensoriamento remoto e modelos computacionais Impacts of sea-level rise over the mangrove ecosystem: the contribution of remote sensing and computer models

The process of climate change resultant of human activity is very likely and among its consequences, the sea-level rise is the biggest concern for coastal zones. Due to its position between the sea and the continent, the mangrove ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to variations of the sea. In Brazil there is a big challenge with regard the understanding of the pattern of mangrove response to sea-level rise, since the Legal Amazon has the largest continuous area of mangrove of the planet, and the country still has the second largest area of mangrove forest of the world. The present study aims to discuss two methodological approaches that may be useful to study the impacts of sea-level rise over mangrove ecosystem. The methodological tools discussed are: remote sensing and computational models. Respectively, these methodologies contribute to mapping of mangrove forests and simulation of the mangrove’s response pattern to eventual scenarios of sea-level rise. Both of these the methodological approaches have advantages and disadvantages, and can be used jointly for a better understanding of the impacts to the mangrove ecosystem.