# Landsat data: global mangrove area grew by nearly 2,000 km² after 2010, a Science study reports

- Published: 2026-11-14 02:52 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling
- Tags: mangrove forests, global mangrove area, Landsat 1984–2023, mangrove recovery, Zhen Zhang, coastal ecosystems, carbon storage, Science study, NASA Earth Observatory
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-4c0c39a8a39b1ba474ba39fb_landsat_data_global/

**After losing nearly 3,000 km² between 1984 and 2010, mangroves began expanding worldwide, according to a Science study of Landsat images from 1984 to 2023.**

![Landsat data: global mangrove area grew by nearly 2,000 km² after 2010, a Science study reports](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/fc0757941e83bcf7.jpg)
*Universe Magazine*

Researchers led by Zhen Zhang, an environmental scientist at Tulane University, analyzed Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2023 and found that global mangrove area has been growing since around 2010, according to science.nasa.gov. The study was published in Science. [1] The team looked for changes in the extent and density of the mangrove canopy. [1]

They tallied losses of nearly 3,000 square kilometers between 1984 and 2010, followed by an increase of nearly 2,000 square kilometers after 2010. [1] The rebound was led by Asia, Australia and South America. Many forests now have denser, more closed canopies than in 2010, a sign of healthier, less degraded forests, particularly in South America. [1]

Zhang said other groups had mapped long-term changes only in select regions, and these are the first global mangrove maps covering such a long period. [1]

## Where mangroves are returning

According to Zhang, about two-thirds of the expansion came from mangroves colonizing new areas, and the other third from restoration and regrowth in degraded areas. [1] Around the mouth of the Amazon River and in northern Australia, sediment deposition created new mudflats that mangroves colonized, producing steady increases since the 1990s. [1] At the northern and southern edges of their range, including the southeastern U.S., warming temperatures and fewer freezes let mangroves move into areas that were previously too cold. [1]

One of the most notable reversals occurred in Burma (Myanmar). The country lost 28.6 percent of its mangrove area between the 1980s and 2010 because of agriculture, aquaculture and firewood harvesting; since then the area has grown about 10 percent. [1] The authors attribute the turnaround to greater awareness and restoration efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, stronger legal protections and high sedimentation that opened new mudflats. [1] In Palaw Township, Myeik District, much of the regeneration appears to be happening in abandoned rice fields south of the village of Kyauktaung. Deforestation remains a common challenge in the country. [1]

## Ecological role and remaining losses

Mangrove trees average about 13 meters in height, yet mangrove ecosystems store up to four times as much carbon as taller inland tropical forests. [1] They protect coastal communities from erosion and storm surges, and their stilt-like roots provide habitat and nursery grounds for fish, shrimp, crabs and other marine life. [1]

Gains are not universal. Substantial losses in the Niger Delta have reduced the total mangrove area in West and Central Africa since 2010. [1] North America and southern Africa have seen widespread degradation after tropical cyclones devastated broad swaths of mangroves. [1] Zhang cautioned that the recent global gains should not be grounds for complacency, and that conservation and slower deforestation, combined with natural expansion and regeneration, can have large positive effects. [1]

## Sources

1. [science.nasa.gov](https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/a-global-rebound-for-mangroves/)
2. [Universe Magazine](https://universemagazine.com/znimky-nasa-pokazaly-nespodivane-zrostannia-mangriv)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-4c0c39a8a39b1ba474ba39fb_landsat_data_global/