Climate Change Impact Captured by Satellite

Five Solomon Islands in the Pacific have disappeared due to rising water levels and coastal erosion, according to an Australian scientific study published in May 2016.

The islands consisting around 5 hectares, were uninhabited but were covered with vegetation and served as a stopover for local fishermen in the region. The Solomon Islands are threatened by rising sea levels and particularly violent waves that consistently erode the coastline.

The vegetation is still present on the SPOT 5 image captured in July 2011, whilst on the later SPOT 6 image acquired in October 2017, the waves roll over now-submerged lands.