On the northern coast of Indonesia"s Sumba Island, a stand of mangrove trees appears to dip and sway to summon another dreamy sunrise. Walakiri Beach is gently sloped, so it"s easy for a visitor to walk out into the knee-deep water to examine the extraordinary transitional zone of a mangrove ecosystem. Mangroves thrive here at the boundary between land and sea, growing in coastal salt water and low-oxygen conditions where other trees would quickly die. Their complex root systems filter out the salt and form a strong natural defense against storm surges, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion. Mangroves also create aquatic nursery habitats that support a highly diverse range of juvenile fish and crustaceans.
The dancing trees of Sumba Island
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
White dunes, blue lagoons
-
From pirate port to nature preserve
-
Here comes summer
-
Green sea turtle on World Oceans Day
-
It’s Napping Day
-
National Moth Week
-
Satla marshland in Bangladesh
-
Lantern Festival
-
Lake Tai s cherry trees in bloom
-
Here’s why landmarks are going dark
-
Decorating for Diwali
-
Roman theater of Cartagena, Spain
-
Winter in England s Cotswolds
-
Up on the glacier
-
Craig Goch Dam in the Elan Valley of Wales
-
Women s History Month
-
Old Town Quito
-
One for the books
-
No, it s not a leaf. Happy Look-alike Day
-
Pups of the prairie