Impacts of Urbanization on Atoll Formation Processes and Climate Change Adaptation
Atoll nations such as Tuvalu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are low-lying islands with elevations of only 2–3 meters above sea level, making them highly vulnerable to sea-level rise. Atolls are formed and maintained through the production, transport, and deposition of calcareous materials by organisms such as benthic foraminifera (e.g., star sand and sun sand) within coral reef ecosystems. In recent years, the natural processes of atoll formation and maintenance have been increasingly degraded by the combined effects of global environmental stressors, including rising sea temperature and ocean acidification, together with local anthropogenic pressures associated with urbanization, such as wastewater discharge and solid waste pollution. In this study, we evaluate anthropogenic pressures on coastal ecosystems—particularly benthic foraminifera—and assess their tolerance to such stressors. Furthermore, we aim to develop climate change adaptation strategies for atoll cities that support the sustainable conservation of natural land formation and maintenance processes under sea-level rise.
Recent Publications:
- Akther S, Kitano T, Fujita M (2023) Genomics of foraminiferal symbionts, Reference Module in Life Sciences, Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822563-9.00091-3.
- Akther S, Sun W, Suzuki J, Fujita M (2022) Tolerance of benthic foraminifer Calcarina gaudichaudii to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pyrene: Effects on photosynthesis, Coral Reefs 41, 1585-1594. doi: 10.1007/s00338-022-02318-8.
- Akther S, Suzuki J, Pokhrel P, Okada T, Imamura M, Enomoto T, Kuwahara Y, Fujita M (2021) Assessment of heavy metal pollution in the coastal sediments of an urbanized atoll in the central Pacific: Majuro Atoll, the Marshall Islands, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 193, 843. doi: 10.1007/s10661-021-09603-z.
- Akther S, Suzuki J, Pokhrel P, Okada T, Imamura M, Enomoto T, Kitano T, Kuwahara Y, Fujita M (2021) Behavior of eukaryotic symbionts in large benthic foraminifers Calcarina gaudichaudii and Baculogypsina sphaerulata under exposure to wastewater, Environmental Pollution 265 (Part A), 114971. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114971.
