Can we grow islands by harnessing the ocean's natural energy?
In short: As rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, traditional methods like dredging often destroy marine environments. However, MIT researchers are testing a different approach: using the ocean's own movement to accumulate sand and restore eroding shorelines through the power of self-organization.
Current solutions to rising sea levels often involve building barrier walls, constructing floating cities, or dredging sand from the deep ocean for island reclamation. While dredging can rebuild land, it is a destructive process requiring immense amounts of energy, labor, and money. Skylar Tibbits, an associate professor of design research at MIT, suggests that we should instead work with the forces of nature rather than against them. This method seeks to move away from human-led interventions that disrupt marine ecosystems. Instead, the goal is to mimic the way natural landmasses expand.
The inspiration for this research came from observing natural sandbars in the Maldives. These sandbars can form entirely on their own in just a matter of months, driven by ocean forces and underwater bathymetry. One observed sandbar measured approximately 100 meters long and 20 meters wide, with sand depths exceeding 1 meter. This natural self-organization offers a blueprint for more sustainable coastal management. These formations appear and disappear seasonally depending on ocean currents. Local inhabitants have historically used vegetation to help expand their islands.
By creating dynamic, adaptable underwater structures, Tibbits' lab aims to tap into these natural phenomena. These 'active materials' are designed to sense and adapt to their environment, using wave energy to trigger sand accumulation. Initial tests have already shown promising results, with localized sand accumulation of about a foot and a half deposited in just four months. This shift from fighting nature to collaborating with it could provide a vital tool for the 40 percent of the global population living in coastal areas threatened by rising seas. These underwater structures function as a way to harness the intelligence found in the material world. This approach could eventually allow materials to evolve and design themselves.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: A new way to "grow" islands and coastlines | Skylar Tibbits
- Also: 3 Questions: Harnessing wave power to rebuild islands | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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