They are the salt-tolerant shrubs that thrive in the toughest of conditions, but according to new UniSA research, mangroves are also avid coastal protectors, capable of surviving in heavy metal contaminated environments.
Across the globe, sea level rise is threatening island communities. But in the Pacific Ocean, some atolls—ring-shaped islands sitting on coral reefs—are actually expanding over time, posing a perplexing paradox: How can drowning islands also be growing?
Sea level rise caused by the climate crisis is considered a major threat to low-lying Pacific atolls. Despite this, however, some of these islands are actually growing. Now, a recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters Nov. 20 has figured out why.