We humans have settled in all sorts of precarious environments: parched deserts, barren tundra, high mountains.
None are precarious in quite the same way as atolls, the tiny, low-lying islands that dot the tropics.
As the planet warms and the oceans rise, atoll nations like the Maldives, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu have seemed doomed to vanish, like the mythical Atlantis, into watery oblivion.
Of late, though, scientists have begun telling a surprising new story about these islands.
By comparing mid-20th century aerial photos with recent satellite images, they’ve been able to see how the islands have evolved over time.
Persons:
they’ve
Organizations:
Marshall, Indian
Locations:
Maldives, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Pacific