Hurricane Walaka washes away Hawaii Island where endangered animals nest

An intense hurricane has wiped a remote Hawaiian island off the map, prompting fears for two endangered species which inhabit the remote spit of land.

Scientists were studying East Island before Hurricane Walaka hit, and four researchers had even planned to stay there during the storm. When the storm became too intense, they evacuated, and drone footage obtained after the storm revealed the island had disappeared.

Hurricane Walaka was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, but it did not directly hit any major land masses or result in any known human fatalities. Research suggests that climate change has a direct impact on hurricanes, making them longer, more frequent, and more intense.

Critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles, on the other hand, may suffer from their loss of habitat. Both species had already left for the season, so the hurricane did not affect them, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Still, the island was an important site for sea turtles to nest and for seals to bear their young.

East Island was the largest of the French Frigate Shoals, which are small islands that continue westward off the main Hawaiian Islands. Most of the world’s green sea turtles nest in the French Frigate Shoals, and more than half of those nested on East Island, making it the area with the highest density of green sea turtles in the world. Now, the turtles will have to find elsewhere to lay their eggs.

It is too soon to say how severe the impact on the animals will be. The turtles and seals may find other, nearby areas hospitable for their offspring, but there is a limit to their resilience. Scientists plan to continue to study the endangered animals and see how they fare next year.

Scientists had known that the island was at risk of going underwater due to the rising tides of climate change, but they had hoped that it would last at least another few decades.