Five tiny Pacific islands have disappeared amid rising seas and erosion, Australian researchers say.

澳大利亚研究人员近日表示，受海平面上升和海岸侵蚀影响，太平洋上的5座小岛已经彻底消失。

The missing islands, part of the Solomon Archipelago, were not inhabited by human beings. But six other islands were found to have seen swathes of land turn into sea, destroying entire villages.

这些消失的岛屿是太平洋岛国所罗门群岛的一部分，并没有人类居住。但是，该国其他6座岛屿的大片土地也已被海水吞噬，并摧毁了整个村庄。

The researchers say it is the first scientific confirmation¹ of the impact of climate change on Pacific coastlines.

研究人员表示，这是首次科学的印证了气候变化对太平洋海岸线带来的影响。

The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, looked at 33 islands using aerial and satellite imagery from 1947 to 2014, combined with historical insight and local knowledge.

这项发表于《环境研究快报》上的研究，通过将历史记载和地方性知识相结合，分析了33座岛屿在1947至2014年间的空中和卫星图像。

It found that the archipelago had seen sea levels rise as much as as 10mm (0.4in) every year for the past two decades. The five that have vanished were all vegetated² reef islands of up to five hectares (12 acres) that were occasionally used by fishermen but not populated.

该研究发现，在过去20年间，所罗门群岛的海平面每年上升约10毫米（0.4英寸）。消失的这5座岛礁都长满植被，其中最大的一座面积达到了5公顷（12英亩）。那里人际罕至，只是偶有渔民登岛。

"They were not just little sand islands", leader author Simon Albert said.

研究团队带头人西蒙·阿尔贝特表示：“这5座岛而非仅由沙子构成”。

One of the six islands that have been heavily eroded³ is Nuatambu Island, home to 25 families. The research says it has lost 11 houses and half its inhabitable area since 2011.

而在其他6个岛屿中，侵蚀最严重的Nuatambu岛居住着25户人家。自2011年起，他们已经见证了11座房屋被冲进海里。

However, the report stresses that the inundation⁴ does not result from rising sea levels alone. It found that shoreline recession was substantially worse in areas exposed to high wave energy, and that extreme events and inappropriate development are also factors contributing to the erosion.

不过，该报告也强调，这种结果并不单单是海平面上升带来的。该报告指出，暴露在高波能之下的地区，海岸线的衰退更加严重；此外，一些极端事件以及不恰当的开采，都是造成侵蚀的因素。