Atoll research wins global recognition

University of Auckland scientists are winning international recognition for dispelling the notion that atoll islands are all doomed.

Atolls are often perceived as inevitably lost due to rising sea levels, but that’s not correct, according to Dr Sebastian Steibl and Professor James Russell, both of the School of Biological Sciences.

The scientists and their co-authors are finalists in the Frontiers Planet Prize for their paper “Rethinking atoll futures: local resilience to global challenges”.

Local conservation measures can encourage the build-up of sediment so an atoll grows and persists, the scientists say.

“The prevailing discourse, which often frames atoll inhabitants as passive victims of rising sea levels, risks marginalizing the very communities that have historically stewarded these ecosystems,” says Steibl.

The Frontiers Planet Prize offers three $US1m prizes for breakthroughs in tackling nine “planetary boundaries”: climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol pollution, freshwater use, biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and phosphorus, land-system change, and release of novel chemicals.

While cutting greenhouse gas emissions is key for the islands' futures, local measures can make atolls more resilient immediately and empower Indigenous communities, the scientists say.

The winners will be chosen in June from 19 national finalists, who were announced on Earth Day.