A Science Advances study led by Nicholas Graham of Lancaster University finds that low-lying atoll islands with healthy seabird colonies and native forests may keep pace with rising seas. Seabird guano feeds the reef-building processes that hold these islands together.
Many atoll islands have lost their seabirds, and coconut palms have replaced native forests. The findings suggest restoring both could help these low-lying islands withstand rising seas — a natural, achievable form of climate defense that also supports biodiversity on the same islands.
✦ Where seabirds return and native trees grow, islands can hold their ground against the sea.