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Sam Purkis, University of Miami

(THE CONVERSATION) The Chagos Archipelago is one of the most remote, seemingly idyllic places on Earth. Coconut-covered sandy beaches with incredible bird life rim tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, hundreds of miles from any continent. Just below the waves, coral reefs stretch for miles along an underwater mountain chain.

It's a paradise. At least it was before the heat wave.

When I first explored the Chagos Archipelago 15 years ago, the underwat...