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Satellite-Based Monitoring of Carbon Sequestration in African Mangrove Forests

Prof. Chinedu Okoro, Fatima Diallo, James Kariuki
Published
November 10, 2023
Read Time
20 minutes
Citations
56
Field
biodiversity_conservation

Abstract

Comprehensive assessment of carbon storage in 12 African mangrove ecosystems using Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 data, revealing sequestration rates of 2.4-3.8 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ across study sites.

Citation

apa
Prof. Chinedu Okoro, Fatima Diallo, James Kariuki (2023). Satellite-Based Monitoring of Carbon Sequestration in African Mangrove Forests. Nature Climate Change.
mla
Prof. Chinedu Okoro, Fatima Diallo, James Kariuki. "Satellite-Based Monitoring of Carbon Sequestration in African Mangrove Forests." Nature Climate Change, 2023.
chicago
Prof. Chinedu Okoro, Fatima Diallo, James Kariuki. "Satellite-Based Monitoring of Carbon Sequestration in African Mangrove Forests." Nature Climate Change (2023).
bibtex
@article{101038s41558023018690,
  title={Satellite-Based Monitoring of Carbon Sequestration in African Mangrove Forests},
  author={Prof. Chinedu Okoro, Fatima Diallo, James Kariuki},
  journal={Nature Climate Change},
  year={2023},
  volume={null},
  pages={null},
  doi={10.1038/s41558-023-01869-0}
}

Mangrove forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of carbon storage across 12 major African mangrove ecosystems from Senegal to Mozambique.

Data Sources

Sentinel-2 MSI (10m resolution) for vegetation indices

Landsat 8 OLI for historical analysis (2013-2023)

GEDI LiDAR for canopy height validation

Field measurements from 450 plots across study sites

Key Findings

1. Total carbon storage in studied mangroves: 840 ± 120 Tg C

2. Average sequestration rate: 2.4-3.8 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹

3. Rufiji Delta (Tanzania) showed highest density: 1,023 ± 156 Mg C ha⁻¹

4. Total economic value of carbon storage: USD 12.6 billion (at $50/ton CO₂)

Publication Details

Journal/Conference
Nature Climate Change
Funding
European Union Horizon 2020

Keywords

carbon sequestration
mangroves
Sentinel-2
climate change
blue carbon
Africa
remote sensing
ecosystem services

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