Amazing stuff! Makes sense! If the moon influences the tides on earth, this would suggest to have an effect on mangroves.
Perhaps, lunar cycles, besides the sun, have also something to do with Global Warming and Climate Change?
"Now researchers have found that lunar cycles not only synchronize the timing of animal migrations and mass spawning of corals but may also influence fluctuations in mangrove canopy cover. ...
the team of researchers measured mangrove canopy cover across the entire Australian continent using a new batch of high-resolution satellite images taken between 1987 and 2020. ...
Called the 'lunar wobble', this cycle swings around every 18.61 years, pulling low tides lower and pushing high tides higher in two distinct phases, around 9.3 years long.
This wobble, the analysis reveals, appears to be a dominant factor controlling the expansion and contraction of mangrove canopy cover over much of the Australian continent. ..."
From the abstract:
"Long-phase (interannual) tidal cycles have been shown to influence coastal flooding and sedimentation, but their role in shaping the extent and condition of tidal wetlands has received little attention. Here, we show that the 18.61-year lunar nodal cycle, popularly termed the “lunar wobble,” is a dominant control over the expansion and contraction of mangrove canopy cover over much of the Australian continent. Furthermore, the contrasting phasing of the 18.61-year lunar nodal cycle between diurnal and semidiurnal tidal settings has mediated the severity of drought impacts in northern bioregions. Long-phase tidal cycles regulate maximum tide heights, are an important control over mangrove canopy cover, and may influence mangrove ecosystem services including forest productivity and carbon sequestration at regional scales."
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