Rising sea levels that submerge entire islands were supposed to be something that would be caused in the future by global climate change. However, for the Solomon Islands, that future is already reality. Five of the Solomon Islands have completely disappeared under water over the past seven decades, one disappeared as recently as 2011, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters.
Another six islands have lost more than 20% of their surface area, forcing communities to relocate as the shoreline closes in on their homes. "The human element of this is alarming. Working alongside people on the frontline who have lost their family home -- that they've had for four to five generations -- it's quite alarming," the study's lead author, Simon Albert of the University of Queensland, told CNN. They attributed the changes to general sea level rises driven by climate change, as well as an intensification in trade winds, driven by both a warming of the atmosphere and natural cycles.
