one more island sinking into the sea

While it may be getting the media coverage, a short term loan of living space on other, drier shores, but the issue will only get worse as time goes on. Rising sea levels have claimed more than just New Moore Island, but this tiny disputed island is bringing more attention to the issue than ever before.

New Moore Island is also South Talpatti

The disputed New Moore Island was a tiny chunk of land – less than 2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. The government of India maintains that New Moore Island is within their ocean borders and is hence theirs. On the other hand, Bangledesh also claims what they call South Talpatti. New Moore Island has never been residence to any permanent settlements. The island actually came under dispute only about 40 years ago, when New Moore Island / South Talpatti appeared after the Bhola cyclone. India had at one point established a base on South Talpatti / New Moore Island, but international opinion was split on the issue.

Sea levels rise beyond New Moore Island

The School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta told the BBC this year that New Moore Island had officially disappeared into the sea. The institute has verified that New Moore Island is no more with satellite pictures and reports from fishermen. In the last 10 years, sea level has risen an average of five millimeters per year, while the previous average was three millimeters per year. Sea level has been increasing much more quickly around the Sundarban Island Chain, where New Moore Island Was – 3.14 centimeters a year. In the last fifteen years, four other Sundarban chain islands have disappeared to the ocean.
More island nations might sink
Islands are at risk of sinking outside of the Sundarban chain. The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has been losing land mass to the sea for years. The highest point in the Maldives is only 8 feet above ocean level, so even a high tide can create problems for citizens. The government of the Maldives is building an artificial island called Hulhumale nearby for residents to move to. Tuvalu, a Pacific Ocean island between Hawaii and Australia, is also quickly losing land mass. There are 11,000 residents of Tuvalu, all of whom will be devoid of a home in as little as 50 years. Each year, 75 Tuvalu residents can use military personal loans to move to New Zealand – but many more are left behind. Like New Moore Island, Tonga, Kirbati, and the Marshall Islands are all at risk of sinking into the sea.

How to stop the sinking?
Most scientists concur that there is no definitive way to measure the cause of small islands sinking to the sea. Sea levels rise and fall regularly, and island land masses can also rise and sink on their own. There are also arguments about if the increased water levels are due to global climate change or natural fluctuations in the climate. Governments are being asked to discover solutions for islands like New Moore Island, though, because there is no way to stop an island from sinking once it has started.