The Race Against the Sea

Small island nations worldwide are struggling with rising sea levels. As the oceans creep higher, shorelines are being washed away, leaving behind less land to live on. Homes and roadways are being damaged by more frequent floods. And freshwater springs, wells, and streams that people rely on for safe drinking water are being contaminated by seawater.

These problems are taking place in parts of the Maldives. But Maldivians may have found a solution: creating new land.

The Maldives is an archipelago—an area of water that contains a group of scattered islands (see "Explore the Maldives" maps, below). Many of the islands are in ring-shaped groups called atolls. They formed over millions of years as ocean waves and tides stirred up sand and deposited it in layers on top of coral reefs.

To create more—and higher—ground in the Maldives, engineers and construction workers are copying that process, but at a much faster pace. They are using special ships that dredge the seafloor, removing sand and pumping it through pipes to workers, who pile it on top of undersea reefs. Using this process, they have extended the area of some existing islands—and created entirely new ones.

Small island nations worldwide are struggling with rising sea levels. The oceans are creeping higher. They are washing away shorelines. This means less land to live on. Homes and roadways are being damaged by more frequent floods. And freshwater springs, wells, and streams that people need for safe drinking water are being contaminated by seawater.

These problems are taking place in parts of the Maldives. But Maldivians may have found a solution: They are creating new land.

The Maldives is an archipelago—an area of water that contains a group of scattered islands (see "Explore the Maldives" maps, below). Many of the islands are in ring-shaped groups called atolls. They formed over millions of years as ocean waves and tides stirred up sand and deposited it in layers on top of coral reefs.

Engineers and construction workers are copying that process in order to create more—and higher—ground in the Maldives. But they are doing so at a much faster pace. They are using special ships that dredge the seafloor. The ships remove sand and pump it through pipes to workers. Workers pile it on top of undersea reefs. In doing this, they have increased the area of some existing islands. They have also created entirely new ones.

The biggest success story so far is Hulhumalé (hoo-loo-MAH-lee), built to ease overcrowding on the tiny capital island of Malé (MAH-lee). Once little more than a landing strip for the country’s international airport, Hulhumalé is now the fourth-largest island in the Maldives. It’s a flourishing city—a center of business and industry as well as home to more than 50,000 people. And it stands about 6.6 feet above sea level—twice as high as Malé and most of the other islands.

Other parts of the Maldives have been gaining ground as well. Construction is now underway to create another, even larger neighbor for the capital. Called Ras Malé, the new island’s city center will stand nearly 10 feet above sea level.

Nature has been lending a hand too. While some of the country’s coastlines are being washed away by higher seas, others are expanding. Those areas are growing the same way the atolls first formed: Waves and tides dredge sand from the ocean floor and deposit it atop reefs and beaches. Though extremely slow, this kind of buildup has been a positive change in some places.

The biggest success story so far is Hulhumalé (hoo-loo-MAH-lee). It was built to ease overcrowding on the tiny capital island of Malé (MAH-lee). Hulhumalé used to be little more than a landing strip for the country’s international airport. But now it is the fourth-largest island in the Maldives and a thriving city. It is a center of business and industry and home to more than 50,000 people. And it stands about 6.6 feet above sea level. That is twice as high as Malé and most of the other islands.

Other parts of the Maldives have also been gaining ground. Construction is now underway to create another, even larger neighbor for the capital. The new island is called Ras Malé. Its city center will stand nearly 10 feet above sea level.

Nature has been helping too. Some of the country’s coastlines are being washed away by higher seas. But others are expanding. Those areas are growing the same way the atolls first formed: Waves and tides dredge sand from the ocean floor and put it on top of reefs and beaches. This kind of buildup is extremely slow. But it has been a positive change in some places.

Many people see the ways the Maldives is growing as reason for hope, a sign of what can be done. But the question remains: Can the Maldives grow high enough and fast enough to escape disaster? If sea levels continue to rise at the current rate, Hulhumalé’s streets would be awash in seawater at least 3 feet deep by the year 2100.

In addition, some people worry that current efforts are too focused on creating more land for luxury resorts. That gives a short-term boost to tourism, the biggest driver of the country’s economy. Many Maldivians would prefer a shift to long-term solutions, with the goal of keeping the country habitable for its residents as long as possible. That could mean building more new islands with higher elevations specifically for homes, schools, and businesses. Another option is to build tall walls around some existing islands to serve as barriers against higher seas.

There are other concerns too. For instance, some experts say that removing so much sand from the surrounding seafloor is harming the environment, including the coral reefs on which most of the islands sit. And they point out that unless other nations take swift, significant action to counter climate change, the oceans will continue to rise—no matter how high the Maldives raises its land.

Asim, the Maldivian climate activist, hopes that people around the world will recognize the danger of rising sea levels and take greater action to help.

“We must remember that our planet’s well-being is intricately connected,” she says. “What happens here affects us all.”

Many people see the ways the Maldives is growing as reason for hope. They see it as a sign of what can be done. But can the Maldives grow high enough and fast enough to escape disaster? If sea levels keep rising at the current rate, Hulhumalé’s streets would be awash in seawater at least 3 feet deep by the year 2100.

Also, some people worry that current efforts are too focused on creating more land for luxury resorts. That gives a short-term boost to tourism, the biggest driver of the country’s economy. But many Maldivians would prefer a shift to long-term solutions. They want to keep the country livable for its residents as long as possible. That could mean building more new islands with higher elevations. They would be for homes, schools, and businesses. Another option is to build tall walls around some existing islands. These would serve as barriers against higher seas.

There are other concerns too. For instance, some experts say that removing so much sand from the surrounding seafloor is harming the environment. That includes the coral reefs on which most of the islands sit. And experts point out that the oceans will continue to rise, no matter how high the Maldives raises its land. That is, unless other nations take swift and significant action to counter climate change.

Asim, the Maldivian climate activist, hopes that people around the world will recognize the danger of rising sea levels and take greater action to help.

“We must remember that our planet’s well-being is intricately connected,” she says. “What happens here affects us all.”