Tulun [key] inhabited atoll, Papua New Guinea, SW Pacific, in the N Solomons Islands chain 45 mi (72 km) NE of Buka. Also known as the Carteret Islands, Carteret Atoll, and Kilinailau, the atoll is about 12 mi (19 km) in diameter and contains seven small islands. The islands, which are gradually sinking into the ocean and becoming uninhabitable, are notable primarily because their situation is regarded by some as the result of rising sea levels due to climate change (see global warming). It is unclear, however, whether that or another natural process known to cause atolls to subside, is the explanation.
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