Coral Reef Island Initiation and Development Under Higher Than Present Sea Levels

Holly East, C. T. Perry, P. S. Kench, Y. Liang, P. Gulliver

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)
57 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Coral reef islands are considered to be among the most vulnerable environments to future sea-level rise. However, emerging data suggest that different island types, in contrasting locations, have formed under different conditions in relation to past sea level. Uniform assumptions about reef island futures under sea-level rise may thus be inappropriate. Using chronostratigraphic analysis from atoll rim islands (sand- and gravel-based) in the southern Maldives, we show that whilst island building initiated at different times around the atoll (~2,800 cal. yr. B.P. and ~4,200 cal. yr. B.P. at windward and leeward rim sites respectively), higher than present sea levels and associated high-energy wave events were actually critical to island initiation. Findings thus suggest that projected sea-level rise and increases in the magnitude of distal high-energy wave events could reactivate this process regime which, if there is an appropriate sediment supply, may facilitate further vertical reef island-building.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11265-11274
Number of pages10
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume45
Issue number20
Early online date23 Oct 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Oct 2018

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