Rising sea levels, caused in part by climate change, have swallowed five islands in the Pacific Ocean, a new study has found.

Published Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research Letters, the study found that at least five of the Solomon Islands are now completely submerged due to rising sea levels and erosion, while another six have been partially destroyed.

The Solomon Islands in the western Pacific includes more than 1,000 islands. The islands' population of 560,000 people is spread across the archipelago. Many communities are located in low-lying coastal areas.

Researchers examined 33 reef islands in the area using images dating back to 1947 and found that five measuring between about 2 and 12 acres had vanished over time.