Delicate Beauty

Atolls Of The Pacific

In the warm, shallow lagoon waters of atolls, coral reefs and the wildlife that inhabit them flourish. Tens of thousands of people also call atolls home. Despite the idyllic appearance, the people and wildlife who live on atolls face growing challenges from the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels. To understand why atolls are so vulnerable, it helps to picture how they form.

By Alyssa Leicht | Illustration by Amy Blandford

Home Sweet Home

A large number of endemic fish, plus a variety of other endangered and threatened wildlife, call atolls home.

In the North Pacific, Midway Atoll's three islands provide a nearly predator-free sanctuary for the world's largest albatross colony

The loss of terrestrial habitat poses a threat to Hawaiian monk seals in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which are mostly comprised of low-lying atolls.

An Uncertain Future

When people degrade atolls with pollution, waste, and infrastructure, it can smother underlying coral. In 2018, ocean scientists from several US agencies and the University of Hawai'i projected that annual flooding will render most atolls uninhabitable by the middle of the 21st century. Now is the time for our generation to make important changes to safeguard the future of these fragile ecosystems.