Facing The Heat

In the last few years, the rise in sea level measured by the Tuvaluan marigraphs and the South Pacific Sea Level 038; Climate Monitoring Project 2005 has ranged between 4 and 6 mm a year. An imperceptible rise8212;except that with a maximum land height of 10 ft and high tides close to or higher than 10 ft, today Tuvaluans live with their feet in water every month.

Tuvalu is a coral archipelago, the islands8217; base is porous: water comes up through the ground. Bubbles appear on the surface and within half an hour, the water spreads into ponds, not to say lakes. In the past few years, this phenomenon, earlier limited to spring tides, can happen at any monthly high tide now.

When the big winds come, the lagoon waters become threatening and submerge the road. Only once though, in August 2002, did a set of ocean waves crossed right through South Funafuti, the main island, a long strip of land of 500 m wide at its maximum.