Belize fieldwork shows how oceanic mangrove islands kept up with sea-level rise for 8,000 years

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Fieldwork off the coast of Belize in Central America is revealing how coastal tropical forests composed of mangroves have kept up with sea-level rise over the past 8,000 years. The study will aid in understanding how U.S. coastal regions may be affected by future sea-level rise and climate change.

The U. S. Geological Survey is conducting this research in the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef system. It extends 220 kilometers (137 miles) from the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras and contains the longest, unbroken reef in the Western Hemisphere. Scattered throughout the barrier reef complex are hundreds of low-lying mangrove islands, the target of this research.

Karen McKee, a scientist at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center, and her assistant, William Vervaeke, are gathering information at the reef in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and university colleagues.

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