Much is determined by the rate at which sea-degree rise accelerates during the second half of this century. Saltwater intrusion into soils makes horticulture difficult on Tuvalu’s 9 island groups. Gardeners like Kitiona Tausi, above, attempt numerous methods to raise their plant beds above the salination level. On one island, Tuvalu’s most essential crop, a starchy tuber known as pulaka, is grown in compost within concrete pits. High water temperatures kill corals, and acidification impacts their capability to provide their skeletons, since calcium carbonate dissolves in acid.

Overnight the storm deposited a 12-mile (19-kilometer) ridge of coral rubble as much …

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