Root of the matter: A new map shows life-saving forests' scarcity defies past estimates
Thursday, October 28, 2010 - 13:30
in Earth & Climate
Countless people clung to life in the branches of trees hemming the shorelines during the deadly 2004 tsunami that killed more than 230,000 coastal residents in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of the disaster, land change scientist Chandra Giri from the US Geological Survey decided to explore to what degree those unique trees -- which make up valuable forest ecosystems called mangroves -- safeguard lives, property and beaches during hurricanes, tsunamis and floods.