2020 Hurricanes Damage Vulnerable Mangroves

Central America experienced one of its most intense hurricane seasons in 2020. Two major hurricanes and a handful of other late-blooming storms took many lives, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses.

The storms also left severe scars on the landscape, particularly in some mangrove ecosystems.

Mangroves are networks of hardy trees and shrubs that typically grow in coastal wetlands. They are valuable because they help prevent coastal erosion, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and provide habitat for fish and other marine animals. But recent hurricane seasons in Central America and Mexico have threatened some of these vulnerable wetland forests.

Using satellite data and drone imagery, scientists from NASA and other international institutions have been evaluating mangrove damage from the 2020 hurricane season.

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