Hurricane Walaka wiped out East Island, an atoll in northwest Hawaii, scientists confirmed after comparing satellite images before and after the storm.
The island, in the French Frigate Shoals, was around half a mile long and 400 feet wide, coming in at 11 acres total. It was about 550 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Dr. Chip Fletcher, who captured the drone footage of the island seen in the video at the top of the page, said that it was a critical habitat for green sea turtles, monk seals, and seabirds.
“The Coastal Geology Group from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii, is investigating the age, origin, evolution, and current status of this island, and Gin Island, to improve understanding of how they may respond to current and future sea level rise,” he said at the time.
The island was particularly critical for Hawaiian monk seals, of which just 1,400 remain.
‘Bad Luck’
The island was thought to be at least 1,000 years old. Until 1952, it hosted a U.S. Coast Guard radar station.“We wanted to monitor the island so we are disappointed it has gone, but on the other hand, we have learned these islands are far more at risk than we thought,” he added.
“I thought the island would be around for a decade or two longer, but it’s far more fragile than I appreciated. The top, middle, and bottom of it has gone.”
‘Shocked’
“I was absolutely shocked,” Randy Kosaki, NOAA’s deputy superintendent of research and field operations for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument told the Washington Post.He said scientists realized the island had been destroyed after seeing a satellite image taken on Oct. 18. Only two small pieces of sand indicate that there was anything there.
“I had never imagined that we would lose major islands overnight in October 2018,” he said. “That’s just unbelievable.”
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