Mangrove phenological shifts over eco-climatic stressors in the Gulf of Kutch using Sentinel-1&2 time series data

Abstract

Mangroves, blue carbon forest, play a vital role in the environment by protecting the coast, stabilizing the environment, and managing the ecosystem. Analysis of mangrove phenology is required to understand the dynamics of mangrove ecosystems and for restoration measures. Remote sensing technology has been widely employed to monitor vegetation phenology, yet there is a dearth of research addressing the remotely sensed phenology of mangrove forests in coastal Gujarat, India. In this study, we investigated the mangrove phenology dynamics in the Gulf of Kutch region of Gujarat using satellite-derived Sentinel-1&2 time series during 2017–2022, compared the ability of vegetation indices to influence mangrove phenology, and later explored the impact of environmental stressors on mangrove phenology. Eco-climatic stressors show a negative correlation between mean sea level. temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, with the increasing impact but for salinity which also shows negative correlation with phenological events, its impact weakens. Shifts were observed in phenological metrics over our study period, highlighting the influence of environmental factors on mangrove dynamics. The findings can enhance our knowledge of the phenological attributes of mangrove forests, which further provides vision to formulate policies for the restoration and sustainable management of the mangrove ecosystem.