The Vulnerable Fate of Australia's Coral Islands: on the Brink of Vanishing

According to a study published in the Science of the Total Environment journal, more than a dozen coral islands that define Australia's maritime borders are at risk of disappearing. These islands face multiple threats, including rising sea levels, which could have significant implications for the country's maritime borders. The islands play a crucial role in extending Australia's jurisdiction, supporting and demarcating over a million square kilometers of its territory. The study assessed 56 islands based on factors such as vulnerability to heatwaves and flooding. It identified three islands on Western Australia's North West Shelf as being at "very high risk" from climate threats. Additionally, eleven more islands in the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast were classified as facing high risk. None of the islands assessed were found to have zero risk. Although the risk assessments were based on current conditions, the report warned that the threat of marine heatwaves and rising oceans would increase due to climate change. The study highlighted that the disappearance of these islands not only poses risks to the communities that live and depend on them but also has geopolitical implications. The islands provide Australia with significant rights and control over fishing, transport, and mineral exploration. Dr. Thomas Fellowes, one of the study's co-authors from the University of Sydney, emphasized that Australia's coastal management relies on the survival of these coral islands. He suggested that reducing fossil fuel usage could help slow the degradation of the islands. Coral islands are low-lying land masses formed by coral debris sediments. However, coral in Australian waters is under threat, with the Great Barrier Reef experiencing significant coral loss due to climate change and mass bleaching events. About 25% of the world's marine species depend on coral reefs at some stage in their life cycle.