A small Hawaiian island has dramatically erased in the Pacific Ocean fter an island in Hawaii was washed away by a powerful hurricane.
University of Hawaii researchers had been studying the island recently, using drones. It measures a half-mile long and 400 feet wide. The island and the coral reef around it were an endangered habitat for monk seals and green sea turtles.
The disappearance of the 11-acre island has been confirmed by scientists after comparing satellite images of the surrounding French Frigate Shoals, part of an enormous protected marine area in the north-western Hawaiian Islands.
“I uttered a swear word. I had a ‘holy cow!’ moment, somewhat in disbelief that it had disappeared,” University of Hawaii professor Chip Fletcher said. “The island was probably 1,000 to 2,000 years old and we were only there in July, so for it to be lost right now is pretty bad luck.”
“The island was probably one to two thousand years old and we were only there in July, so for it to be lost right now is pretty bad luck,” Fletcher said.
Experts predicted that East Island could return in the future, though.
> Shiuly Rina
Powerful Hurricane Disappears Hawaiian Island
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