Institutional development · Research, innovation and assessment · Germany
Lancaster-led study links seabird nutrients to atoll adaptation to rising seas
An international team led by Lancaster University, with Bremen's Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, reports in Science Advances that protecting seabirds could help tropical atolls adapt to sea-level rise.
Why it matters: Researchers at Lancaster University and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research have published findings on how seabird nutrients shape atoll islands and their surrounding coral reefs.
An international research team led by Lancaster University, with the participation of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, has published a study in the journal Science Advances.
According to the announcement, the study examines how nutrients deposited by seabirds affect tropical atoll islands and nearby coral reefs, and what this means for their adaptation to rising sea levels.
The researchers report that protecting seabirds and restoring natural vegetation could help tropical atoll islands adapt to sea-level rise.
Editor’s view
Scott James, Research and Innovation Editor
The study, led by Lancaster University with ZMT in Bremen, reports that if seabirds are protected and natural vegetation is restored, tropical atoll islands could be better able to adapt to rising seas.
