Australia has approximately 35,500 km of coastline, large sections of which are occupied by mangroves particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions. The distribution and characteristics of mangroves is controlled primarily by climate, the geomorphology of the coastal zone and, to a certain extent, lithology and the composition and dynamics of coastal vegetation communities, including the mangroves themselves.
A large number of marine and terrestrial environmental datasets are available over varying spatial scales and temporal frequencies for Australia and the integration of these is highly beneficial to understanding the states and dynamics of mangroves around the Australian coastline. TERN is providing links to these data to enable scientists to understand the drivers and impacts of change.