Climate Change Wipes Hawaiian Island Off The Map
Climate Change Wipes Hawaiian Island Off The Map, Putting Two Endangered Species In Jeopardy
One moment it was there, only to be gone in the next as the powerful storm slammed the island with wave after wave until it was submerged beneath the sea.
Some people will say that it’s just a tiny speck of land and that it doesn’t matter. But scientists know better.
“I had a holy shit moment, thinking ‘Oh my God, it’s gone,’” University of Hawaii climate scientist Chip Fletcher told the Honolulu Civil Beat. “It’s one more chink in the wall of the network of ecosystem diversity on this planet that is being dismantled.”
Indeed, East Island served as crucial habitat for monk seals and green sea turtles, both of which are still on the Endangered Species List.
“There’s no doubt that it was the most important single islet for sea turtle nesting,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conservation biologist Charles Littnan said, also pointing out that 30 percent of the dwindling monk seal population was born there.
“Species are resilient up to a point,” he continued. “But there could be a point in the future where that resilience isn’t enough anymore.”
Read more of this article here
One moment it was there, only to be gone in the next as the powerful storm slammed the island with wave after wave until it was submerged beneath the sea.
Some people will say that it’s just a tiny speck of land and that it doesn’t matter. But scientists know better.
“I had a holy shit moment, thinking ‘Oh my God, it’s gone,’” University of Hawaii climate scientist Chip Fletcher told the Honolulu Civil Beat. “It’s one more chink in the wall of the network of ecosystem diversity on this planet that is being dismantled.”
Indeed, East Island served as crucial habitat for monk seals and green sea turtles, both of which are still on the Endangered Species List.
“There’s no doubt that it was the most important single islet for sea turtle nesting,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conservation biologist Charles Littnan said, also pointing out that 30 percent of the dwindling monk seal population was born there.
“Species are resilient up to a point,” he continued. “But there could be a point in the future where that resilience isn’t enough anymore.”
Read more of this article here