By Paul Chapman in Wellington, Telegraph
Low-lying Pacific islands regarded as "poster child" examples of the threat from rising sea levels are expanding not sinking, a new study has revealed.
Scientists have been surprised by the findings, which show that some islands have grown by almost one-third over the past 60 years.
Among the island chains to have increased in land area are Tuvalu and neighbouring Kiribati, both of which attracted attention at last year's Copenhagen climate summit.
In the study, researchers compared aerial photographs and high-resolution satellite images of 27 islands taken since the 1950s.
Only four islands, mostly uninhabited, had decreased in area despite local sea level rises of almost five inches in that time, while 23 stayed the same or grew.
Seven islands in Tuvalu grew, one by 30 per cent, although the study did not include the most populous island.
In Kiribati, the three of the most densely populated islands, Betio, Bairiki and Nanikai, also grew by between 12.5 and 30 per cent.
Rest of the article.
Leave a comment