Scientists have built a 50-metre scale replica of a coral reef island to explore how its real-life counterparts might be impacted by rising sea levels.

The model has been designed to mimic atoll islands in the Maldives and the Pacific Ocean, thought to be among the most vulnerable parts of the planet as the climate changes.

Over the coming two months, it will be subjected to varying wave and sea-level conditions, with its response being intensely monitored using wave sensors, current meters, video cameras and laser scanners.

Researchers hope the experiment, combined with fieldwork and numerical modelling, will give them an indication of precisely how the islands might respond if sea levels and the frequency of extreme weather events continue to increase.

With partners across the world, including organisations in the Maldives and the Pacific, the project is exploring the potential for the world’s low-lying coral atoll islands to survive predicted rises in sea level through natural flooding processes.