Mangroves

Strolling along the boardwalk in Stuart, I caught the sunset peeping through these mangroves.

Mangrove forests are a distinct saltwater woodland that thrive in tidal estuaries and low-energy coastal areas throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. They help stabilize Florida's coastline and ecosystem and reduce erosion. They provide natural infrastructure to help protect nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather events such as hurricanes. They are also important to our ecosystem as their dense roots help bind and build soils. Their above-ground roots slow down water flows and encourage sediment deposits that reduce coastal erosion. The complex mangrove root systems filter nitrates, phosphates and other pollutants from the water, improving the water quality flowing from rivers and streams into the estuarine and ocean.