Coral reef islands could adapt to survive sea-level rise: Study

According to a new study, Coral reef islands across the world could naturally adapt to survive the impact of rising sea levels

A study led by the University of Plymouth suggests suggests islands composed of gravel material can evolve in the face of overtopping waves, with sediment from the beach face being transferred to the island’s surface.

Professor Masselink, head of the Plymouth’s Coastal Processes Research Group, said, “It is important to realise that these coral reef islands have developed over hundreds to thousands of years as a result of energetic wave conditions removing material from the reef structure and depositing the material towards the back of reef platforms, thereby creating islands”

The research was led by Gerd Masselink, Professor of Coastal Geomorphology in Plymouth, working with colleagues at the University of Auckland and Simon Fraser University.