Once popular beaches are deserted because the sand has washed away. Perhaps most upsetting to the Marshallese is the fact that the sea has invaded cemeteries, in some places prying open the graves. You see pieces of people's ears. Storm patterns are not like the old days, either. When rainfall declines, wells get brackish.
Some islands use desalination for drinking and bathing water.
Storm surges seem to have grown higher, flooding roads. A country that never suffered much from typhoons is getting hit more often. The changes may not be caused by global warming, says Daniel Albritton, a scientist who's a member of the U.S. delegation in Kyoto. But the changes being seen in the Marshalls are consistent with changes seen if the climate were to warm, he says. And if warming continues, it can only make the current problems worse, Muller says.