ures been noticed on dry-land but also in the oceans, which is even more frightening. It is worse because the oceans absorb a lot of the atmospheric heat if it werent for that the land temperatures would be even higher. And with the polar ice caps receding the mean oceanic sea level is also rising. Speaking strictly in terms of the next hundred years the islands with the lowest altitudes are of greatest concern in regard to swelling oceans. Low-lying island states and atolls are especially vulnerable to climate change and associated sea-level rise because in many cases much of the terrain rarely exceeds 3-4m above present mean sea level. This is not to say that the other higher islands will escape unscathed from rising sea levels. For them the problem isnt necessarily complete immersion but the alteration of costal zones is of concern. It is in these regions that most of the main settlements are and a majority of the vital economic infrastructures, making them very vulnerable. The ecosystems of the ocean are particularly sensitive to slight but permanent changes in the average surface temperature of the earth. For the people of the Pacific Islands this is crucial connected to their future. First, the coral reefs that are in the shallow waters surrounding many of the pacific islands are incredibly fragile to begin with. The seawater temperatures that are gradually getting warmer and warmer can destroy a coral reef ecosystem easily. Elevated seawater temperatures damage corals by bleaching and impairing their reproductive functions. The depletion in the vitality of the coral reefs affects all the marine ecosystems in the surrounding areas. Think back to the people of Satawal, they lack sustainable fishing in the immediate area surrounding their island, instead they rely on the sustenance of other fishing areas in their proximity. They will be faced with a major dilemma when the fishing starts to go down hill there as well. If the reefs di...
