56 Australian Coral Islands At Risk Of Disappearing, Changing Maritime Borders In The Process

More than a dozen of Australia’s coral islands that help to extend the country’s maritime jurisdiction are at high risk of disappearing because of climate change, according to a study. The fate of the low-lying islands now “hangs in the balance”, said the scientist who led the study, with rising sea levels, marine heatwaves, intensifying weather systems and ocean acidification compounding the risk.

How international law will deal with islands that currently extend the jurisdiction of countries, but could soon disappear, is a vexed issue, one expert said. Dr Tommy Fellowes, of the University of Sydney, led the study of 56 low-lying Australian coral islands and produced a method to assess the level of risk they faced.

The islands were assessed based on factors such as how susceptible they already are to inundation, storms, sea level rise and marine heatwaves that can kill coral reefs that supply sediment to keep the islands stable. There are hundreds of coral islands, but the 56 were chosen both for their strategic importance and also because enough data was available to make assessments. Islands were put into five categories from low risk to very high risk.

Three islands on Western Australia’s North West Shelf – Scott, Clerke and Imperieuse reefs – were considered “very high risk” and the most vulnerable. A further 11 islands, all in the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast, were considered to be facing a high risk, the study said. “These islands come in a range of shapes and styles and they are all exposed to a range of environmental pressures like storms, sea level rise and heat stress,” Fellowes said.

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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/16/some-of-australias-strategically-important-coral-islands-at-great-risk-of-vanishing-study-finds