No they are not. The fact that atolls exist proves that they can cope with rapidly rising sea levels.
The
world came out of the last ice age about 16,000 - 12,000 years ago. During this
period sea levels rose at up to 3 m per century – 30 mm per year! If coral
growth had not been able to keep up with this, the atolls would not exist. And
that is all you need to know!
Confirmation
comes from recent research by Webb and Kench ( University of Auckland) that
shows that 24/27 atolls in the central Pacific increased in area in spite of a
sea level rise of 2 mm per year.
So
why do we see pictures of islands being eroded by what is claimed to be rapidly
rising sea levels and hear stories about people being forced to evacuate?
The
simple answer is that many overpopulated atolls do have real problems with the
encroaching sea. In many cases they are pumping groundwater from under the
atoll and this is causing settlement and flooding. This is often exacerbated by
the fact that buildings, roads and the like stop rainwater replenishing the
groundwater reserves. In some islands they have dug coral from the lagoon – and
maybe the reef itself – to use for buildings and this has reduced the
protection they once had from ocean waves. So waves that once were dissipated
on the reef and the lagoon finish up washing away the land. Another problem is
that although the total area of the atoll has increased, there were decreases
in some areas and increases in others. If the decreases occurred where people
live, they, quite understandably, get quite upset. A hundred years ago they
would have simply moved to a part of the atoll that was increasing area. But
that is not so simple now.
The
really sad thing about all this is that these islands do have problems that, to
a large extent, are man-made and the result of overpopulation. Claiming that they
are caused by rising sea levels diverts attention from the real problems that
can be solved, to a non-existent problem that, they claim, can only be solved
if the whole world reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
There
is one exception to all this: the Carteret Islands near New Guinea do suffer
from inundation. the reason is quite simple: they are on the edge of a
subduction zone and the islands are slowly sinking beneath the sea. In spite of
this, people expect us to believe that the rapid encroachment of the sea is
caused by rising sea levels – and hence expect us to believe that, in this area
alone, the sea level is rising rapidly – a sort of mini mountain of water!
Believe that and you’ll believe anything!
3 comments:
Talk to the Dutch . They have been living below sea level for some time.
Actually, most atolls and volcanic oceanic islands are sinking, albeit at a slower rate than people suppose. This is Darwin's theory, the only one which explains all the evidence and never bettered. Look it up!
Bruce M
Jolly interesting. Also perhaps, due to increasing demands, people are trying to live in places that have always been more prone to periodic inundation.
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