Role of Future Reef Growth on Morphological Response of Coral Reef Islands to Sea‐Level Rise

Coral reefs are widely recognized for providing a natural breakwater effect that modulates erosion and flooding hazards on low-lying sedimentary reef islands. Increased water depth across platforms due sea-level rise (SLR) can compromise this enhance island exposure to these hazards, but accretion in response SLR may positively contribute resilience. Morphodynamic studies suggest islands adjust by maintaining freeboard (island crest elevation above still level) through overwash deposition accretion, the impact of different future trajectories morphological remains unknown. Here we show, using process-based morphodynamic model, that, although growth significantly affects wave transformation processes morphology, it does not lead decreased coastal inundation. According evolve during attuning their maximum runup fronted growing platform attain lower elevations than those without growth, have similar regimes. The mean discharge Qover plays key role ability keep up with maintain freeboard, value O (10 l m−1 s−1) separating construction from destruction. Islands, therefore, grow vertically via if specific forcing sediment supply conditions met, offering hope uninhabited sparely populated However, physical will negatively infrastructure assets developed