Monitoring detailed mangrove hurricane damage and early recovery using multisource remote sensing data

Due to their location in tropical latitudes, mangrove forests are susceptible to the impact of hurricanes and can be vastly damaged by their high-speed winds. Given the logistic difficulties regarding field surveys in mangroves, remote sensing approaches have been considered a reliable alternative. We quantified trends in damage and early signs of canopy recovery in a fringe Rhizophora mangle area of Marismas Nacionales, Mexico, following the landfall of Hurricane Willa in October 2018. We monitored (2016–2021) broad canopy defoliation using 21 vegetation indices (VI) from the Google Earth Engine tool (GEE). We also mapped a detailed canopy fragmentation and developed digital surface models (DSM) during five study periods (2018–2021) with a consumer-grade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over an area of 100 ha. Based on optical data from the GEE time series, results indicated an abrupt decline in the overall mangrove canopy. The VARI index was the most reliable VI for the mangrove canopy classification from a standard RGB sensor. The impact of the hurricane caused an overall canopy defoliation of 79%. The series of UAV orthomosaics indicate a gradual recovery in the mangrove canopy, while the linear model predicts at least 8.5 years to reach pre-impact mangrove cover conditions. However, the sequence of DSM estimates that the vertical canopy configuration will require a longer time to achieve its original structure.