A remote island in Hawaii has vanished beneath the sea after it was hit by Hurricane Walaka earlier this month.
Scientists at the University of Hawaii have confirmed the 11 acres which make up East Island are now underwater.
Civil Beat reports the island was a critical habitat for endangered Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.
Randy Kosaki, an official with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the island's disappearance shows climate change is real and happening now.
He said it was unclear whether the island would stay submerged.
Hurricane Walaka, one of the most powerful Pacific storms ever recorded, has erased East Island, which is part of French Frigate Shoals in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. https://t.co/x9moCB1WA5 @NathanEagle #HIwx #Hawaii pic.twitter.com/BckfalPR90
— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) October 23, 2018
