A new study finds that the implications of climate change on the marine environment and coral reefs, in particular, may affect the delineation of international maritime boundaries.

In their study published in the journal "Environmental Research Letters", researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia said that climate variables will affect the terms of the atolls and their reefs in the international law of the sea.

Those islands and coral reefs are under pressure from sea level rise and ocean acidification, disrupting their integrity;

This will therefore raise doubts in international law, and possibly provoke disputes over maritime boundaries.

According to a press release issued by the University of Sydney on September 9, 2022, coral reef islands and reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans naturally grow and shrink due to complex biological and physical processes that are not yet fully understood.

However, the researchers believe that it is not yet time to panic. Several new techniques and methods, along with extensive research into the behavior of coral reef islands, may help dispel some of the concerns of maritime border conflicts due to the impact of coral reefs on climate change.

Coral reef islands and reefs in the Indo-Pacific are naturally growing and shrinking (Getty Images)

Coral reefs are the basis of the marine boundary

According to the statement, the reef islands, which consist of the accumulation of coral reefs, are the legal basis for many large marine areas.

Thus, the climatic disturbances in those regions that occur in the coming decades will have a major impact not only on small island nations, but in fueling border disputes in places such as the South China Sea.

"For atolls, the outer low-water line of the reef is used as a legal baseline for the establishment of offshore areas," said Francis Anjadi of the University of Sydney Law School.

"The potential loss of marine areas due to changes in coral baselines caused by the impact of climate change is a serious concern for countries like Kiribati, an archipelago located in the central tropical Pacific, as well as for larger nations like Australia that depend on coral reefs and islands, to sustain its maritime borders.

There is no clear agreement on whether changes in the structural integrity of reef islands due to climate will lead to legal vulnerabilities, so it is clear that there is a need for a more detailed understanding of reef island behavior along with a rethink of legal rules.”

Coral reefs are vulnerable and thrive within a specific range of biophysical, oceanic and climatic conditions (Reuters)

Disrupting coral reef systems

According to the statement, there are 4 ways in which climate change is disrupting coral reef systems that may affect marine borders:

  • sea ​​level rise

  • Ocean warming

  • ocean acidification

  • storm surge

Each of these factors has an impact on the interrelated biophysical processes that allow the establishment, decline, and overall structural stability of coral reefs and islands.

For example, high temperatures drive out symbiont algae in corals and other invertebrates, which leads to coral bleaching, and if a large number of coral organisms die, this can lead to the collapse of the reef, and in turn may lead to shrinkage of the outer low water line of the reef. Coral which reduces the marine claim basis.

Dr Thomas Fellowes - from the University of Sydney's School of Earth Sciences and lead author of the research paper - says: "Coral reefs are vulnerable and thrive only within a specific range of biophysical, oceanic and climatic conditions, but changes in sedimentation due to climate change may support atolls and reinforce some claims. in the maritime borders.

Baselines for coral reefs must be determined with geographic coordinates such as GPS (websites)

Solve the problem of the maritime boundary

On the other hand, the statement says that the researchers propose - to solve the problem of marine boundaries in light of climate change - defining the baselines of coral reefs with geographical coordinates, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or remote sensing methods.

For such approaches to be successful, the statement adds, more data is needed on the entire reef island system in order to more accurately determine the true extent of claims in current marine delimitation and to understand aspects of climate change that may affect the future.