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This is already done today The UAE artificial islands use material dredged from the sea bottom to ceate the islands. But is it sustainable? The easy answer is "no." You're not creating islands o...
Answer
#2: Post edited
by
JBH
·
2021-08-11T23:57:23Z (over 3 years ago)
- **This is already done today**
The Saudi artificial islands use material [dredged from the sea bottom to ceate the islands](https://geology.com/satellite/artificial-islands-of-dubai/).- But is it sustainable?
- The easy answer is "no." You're not creating islands out of bedrock, you're creating islands out of sand. You might remember the old ditty based on the Bible... "The wise man built his house upon the rock..." Wave and current erosion is constantly eating at the nearly insubstantial sand construction [and causing it to slip back to where it came from](https://www.theinertia.com/environment/dubais-man-made-islands-for-the-super-rich-are-reportedly-sinking-back-into-the-sea/).
- Having said that, *could* it be sustainable?
- let's throw cost and sanity to the wind. Could the idea be sustainable? The answer, I believe, is yes.
- If you created a fairly large island and worked very hard to cover it with vegetation such that the root structures bound the sand in place, *then* you'd have a sustainable solution with the possible exception of being hit by a tsunami.
- A worthwhile axiom to keep in mind is, "Mother Nature can always prove the arrogance of Man."
- **This is already done today**
- The UAE artificial islands use material [dredged from the sea bottom to ceate the islands](https://geology.com/satellite/artificial-islands-of-dubai/).
- But is it sustainable?
- The easy answer is "no." You're not creating islands out of bedrock, you're creating islands out of sand. You might remember the old ditty based on the Bible... "The wise man built his house upon the rock..." Wave and current erosion is constantly eating at the nearly insubstantial sand construction [and causing it to slip back to where it came from](https://www.theinertia.com/environment/dubais-man-made-islands-for-the-super-rich-are-reportedly-sinking-back-into-the-sea/).
- Having said that, *could* it be sustainable?
- let's throw cost and sanity to the wind. Could the idea be sustainable? The answer, I believe, is yes.
- If you created a fairly large island and worked very hard to cover it with vegetation such that the root structures bound the sand in place, *then* you'd have a sustainable solution with the possible exception of being hit by a tsunami.
- A worthwhile axiom to keep in mind is, "Mother Nature can always prove the arrogance of Man."
#1: Initial revision
by
JBH
·
2021-08-11T19:39:33Z (over 3 years ago)
**This is already done today** The Saudi artificial islands use material [dredged from the sea bottom to ceate the islands](https://geology.com/satellite/artificial-islands-of-dubai/). But is it sustainable? The easy answer is "no." You're not creating islands out of bedrock, you're creating islands out of sand. You might remember the old ditty based on the Bible... "The wise man built his house upon the rock..." Wave and current erosion is constantly eating at the nearly insubstantial sand construction [and causing it to slip back to where it came from](https://www.theinertia.com/environment/dubais-man-made-islands-for-the-super-rich-are-reportedly-sinking-back-into-the-sea/). Having said that, *could* it be sustainable? let's throw cost and sanity to the wind. Could the idea be sustainable? The answer, I believe, is yes. If you created a fairly large island and worked very hard to cover it with vegetation such that the root structures bound the sand in place, *then* you'd have a sustainable solution with the possible exception of being hit by a tsunami. A worthwhile axiom to keep in mind is, "Mother Nature can always prove the arrogance of Man."