New Land This tiny island is Nadikdik Atoll (also called Knox Atoll) in the Marshall Islands of the
New Land This tiny island is Nadikdik Atoll (also called Knox Atoll) in the Marshall Islands of the Pacific Ocean. It is a coral island, one of many in the Pacific Ocean, and it has a wonderful story to tell. Coral islands are found all over the Pacific whenever a seamount comes close to the ocean’s surface. Seamounts are often built by volcanoes and the rocks they erupt can be washed away by waves, leaving flat platforms just below the ocean surface where coral can grow. The coral will grow upwards along the edges of the seamount, building reefs like this one, which can on occasion breach the surface. This little island is about 8 kilometers long, but its very presence is fascinating because in 1905 it was destroyed during a major typhoon. Researchers from the University of Auckland wanted to track the recovery of this island. They found images of the island taken by the US Navy in 1945 and, combined with modern-day photos, they were able to track how the island recovered over the last 60 years. A number of small, sandy islands along the reef which weren’t present in 1945 are there now. Others have expanded in area, others joined together, and still others have stabilized as trees and vegetation have grown. The islands also have migrated as they grow, even taking up the positions where islands sat prior to the typhoon. This study shows that these islands are dynamic even in response to disaster. These islands were able to regrow after being destroyed since the reef survived and the sediment supplies weren’t changed. This research will have implications for the future as many of these low-lying Pacific islands are facing a future cataclysm due to sea-level rise. The good news might be…if these islands can recover and survive, maybe there are ways to stabilize or save other islands from their impending fate as well. -JBB Image credit: NASAhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.02.006 -- source link
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