A database of published mangrove articles for coastal Louisiana, USA

Mangroves are being increasingly recognized as natural climate solutions for the range of ecosystem services they provide. In North America, one of the northern range limits of mangroves is found in coastal Louisiana, USA, where in recent decades, mangroves have been expanding into wetlands formerly dominated by salt marsh primarily due to decreases in the frequency and severity of winter freeze events. While reviews focused on mangrove ecology that include coastal Louisiana within a broader geographic scope have been conducted, no systematic review has focused on what is known about mangrove ecology across coastal Louisiana, a region that contains the expansive Mississippi River Delta. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review to highlight the breadth of mangrove research topics that have been studied in coastal Louisiana and identify emerging and future research opportunities. We identified four main research topics: (1) mangrove expansion, (2) freeze tolerance, (3) coastal restoration, and (4) disturbance. We also identified geographic biases in where mangrove research has been conducted, with a focus around the heavily industrialized Port Fourchon/Grand Isle area.