In this Brazilian island, sea level has gone down

The island of Trindade easternmost point of Brazil’s territory, situated 1,100 kilometers away from the mainland. It is so far from the continent that it is located a mere 2,400 kilometers from Africa. According to the Brazilian Navy, the 3-million-year old island is the biggest reproductive site for the green sea turtle. Trindade has intrigued researchers, who discovered that over the past 6,000 years, the sea level has actually lowered by 3 meters.

The shocking conclusion, especially in the face of current evidence of ocean levels rising around the world, was recently published in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences. The authors of the study collected fossil samples from old coral reefs and observed sea urchin holes on the shores of Trindade. When found above sea level, these fossils indicate that the ocean was once higher.

The change in sea level observed in Trindade – an island administered by the Navy – is supposedly associated with climate change. Around 18,000 years ago, the melting of...