Long-Term Monitoring of Carbon Dynamics and Mangrove Health Using Remote Sensing: A Study of Balikpapan Bay, Indonesia

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Presents a validated remote sensing methodology (MHI and AGC estimation) that can be replicated or refined for other blue carbon ecosystems.

🏢実務担当者:Offers a practical tool for coastal managers to monitor mangrove health and carbon storage over time using freely available satellite data.

🏛政策担当者:Provides evidence that mangrove conservation enhances carbon sequestration, supporting policy decisions for blue carbon projects and climate mitigation funding.

Mangrove ecosystems provide critical ecological services, including supporting coastal fisheries, protecting shorelines, and functioning as significant carbon sinks within the global carbon cycle. These ecosystems play a substantial role in climate change mitigation, as they are capable of sequestering up to three times more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than terrestrial forests. Given increasing anthropogenic pressures and environmental change, continuous monitoring of mangrove health is essential to sustain these ecological functions and ecosystem services. Remote sensing technology offers a cost-effective and efficient approach for large-scale assessment, spatial analysis, and long-term monitoring of mangrove conditions. This study utilized cloud-free Landsat-8 imagery from 2013 to 2020 to evaluate mangrove health in Balikpapan Bay using the Mangrove Health Index (MHI), which classifies conditions into three categories: excellent, moderate, and poor. Carbon storage was estimated using a model integrating vegetation indices with Above-Ground Carbon (AGC). The results revealed a fluctuating yet overall positive trend in mangrove health, with the “excellent” category increasing by 1.023% (174.78 ha), while the “poor” category decreased by 1.098% (187.67 ha) over the study period. AGC values exhibited a comparable pattern, reaching a peak of 375.54 Mg.ha-1 in 2018 (mean: 125.85 Mg.ha-1). A strong positive correlation (r = 0.994) was observed between estimated mangrove health and AGC values, indicating that healthier mangrove ecosystems possess greater carbon sequestration potential. These findings highlight the importance of sustained monitoring and adaptive management strategies to support mangrove conservation and strengthen their contribution to climate change mitigation at regional and landscape management and policy scales.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.14710/ik.ijms.31.2.195-208first seen 2026-06-26 04:53:47