Week 13: Coastal Erosion


        The Maldives is made up of about a thousand islands, meaning they are quite susceptible and vulnerable to coastal erosion and the destruction of their land/homes that come with it. Looking at this country's coastal erosion, more than 90% of islands within this country have been affected by some level of erosion, and being islands, every inch of land they have is considered vital. There are a couple main factors contributing to this happening. The one that seems to be speeding up this process the most is global warming/climate change. As the temperatures warm, so do the oceans and frozen glaciers. This effectively creates more water in our oceans, and since that water has no where to go, it pushes onto the shorelines, breaking down the land and sand previously there. This country also having less than a five-foot elevation is another big problem. With such low elevation, there is nothing protecting or blocking the water from reaching the land. This ends up allowing strong waves and storm surges to come in and speed up the erosion already happening.


        There are a few measures the Maldives has been using in hopes of restoring or preventing further erosion. Seawalls, usually made from concrete or some other hard rock, are built along shorelines to prevent waves/surges from hitting them directly. The capital, Male, is actually known for having a seawall (built in the 90's) on the east side of the island due to it being the most exposed to swells and stronger waves. This sea wall has become essential in protecting the city and people on this island. Not only have sea walls been vital in the restoration and protection of these islands, but coral reefs have also been shown to make a difference in slowing down erosion. Similar to seawalls, these reef structures act as a natural buffer against waves and storms coming towards the shorelines. Many coral restoration projects have been started to figure out how to combat and produce more coral around the islands.The Maldives has also begun to participate in land reclamation; sand dug up from the bottom of the ocean is used by pipes to pile it along the coast, creating more land. This has been able to restore the look of beaches lost as well as potentially serve as protection from waves coming in. Although this has been working, it is only a temporary solution and needs to be done every so often.



https://sidco.mv/coastal-protection-using-seawalls-breakwaters-and-sand-nourishment-in-the-maldives/#:~:text=March%2028%2C%202024-,Coastal%20Protection%20using%20Seawalls%2C%20Breakwaters%2C%20and%20Sand%20Nourishment%20in%20the,faces%20a%20significant%20threat%3A%20erosion. 

https://only.one/read/sinking-islands-rising-costs

Comments

  1. Ana GGNovember 18, 2024 at 8:32 AM

    Great coastal reflection!-looking forward to more climate connections this week.

    ReplyDelete

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