Mangrove Propagule Tidal Dispersal — 2D Strip Chart

Mangrove trees release fully germinated, buoyant propagules that float away on the tide rather than falling straight to the ground. This 2D companion renders the same physics as a scrolling distance–time (Hovmöller) strip: the horizontal axis is cross-channel position, the vertical axis is time, and each propagule leaves a bright trail as it randomly wanders sideways under drag-relaxation and turbulent mixing, while a shaded depth field shows the tide rising and falling beneath it. A trail that reaches the exposed root fringe at low tide and abruptly stops has stranded; one that keeps wiggling down the strip is still adrift. Adjust the current amplitude, tidal period, drag response time and root-capture density to see how each factor shifts strandings versus long-distance dispersal.