A new study warns that over twelve coral islands crucial to Australia's maritime boundaries are on the brink of disappearance due to various pressures, including rising sea levels. The potential loss poses significant challenges to the nation's maritime borders, affecting over a million square kilometers of its territory. The examination, evaluating 56 islands based on factors like vulnerability to heatwaves and flooding, reveals three islands in Western Australia's North West Shelf facing "very high risk" and eleven in the Coral Sea off Queensland labeled as having a "high risk."

Published in the Science of the Total Environment journal, the report emphasizes that no islands assessed are entirely risk-free. While the evaluations are based on existing island conditions, the study underscores the escalating threats from climate change-induced marine heatwaves and sea-level rise. Beyond the environmental impact, the disappearing islands also have socio-economic and geopolitical ramifications.

Communities relying on these islands are at risk, and the study stresses the broader implications for Australia's jurisdiction, encompassing fishing, transportation, and mineral exploration rights. Dr. Thomas Fellowes from the University of Sydney, a co-author of the study, emphasizes the critical role of these coral islands in Australia's coastal management. He suggests that mitigating fossil fuel usage could slow down the decay of these vulnerable islands.

Coral islands, composed of coral debris sediments, are under serious threat in Australian waters. The Great Barrier Reef, an iconic natural wonder, has already lost more than half of its corals due to climate change-induced events like mass bleaching. Approximately a quarter of the world's marine species depend on coral reefs during some stages of their life cycles. The urgency to address these challenges is underscored by the interconnected environmental, economic, and geopolitical consequences of the potential disappearance of these vital coral islands.