Dubai's Artificial Islands: A Geological Perspective
A short summary about Dubai's artificial islands from a geological perspective.
The Concept of Artificial Reclamation of Islands
Dubai’s government initiated the concept of artificial reclamation of islands in 1994, the first in the region, in order to meet the countless needs of metropolitan centers. These islands are largely used for housing, commercial, industrial, trade, tourism, and strategic reasons to control the inexorable growth in population.
The Study of Land Reclamation and Artificial Islands Formation
The United Arab Emirate’s rapid population growth is coupled with an increase in the consumption of natural resources such as fresh air, sunlight, land, and water. In the past two decades, the demand for land has augmented both away from the coast and significantly near the coast. Within coastal zones, artificial reclamation of land in the sea is the most desirable way to meet the demand for land necessary for the development of the most modern urban areas.
Seaward reclamation (land in the water) necessitates the construction of artificially reclaimed areas that are extended into the sea using innovative modern construction techniques. The majority of these building requirements are necessitated by a number of key factors and have diverse outcomes. Even though this type of urban expansion is not new, the scale and motivations of land reclamation have been drastically altered due to geological and human-induced factors.
The purpose of this paper is to assess the increase in seaward land expansion, particularly in the seven UAE coastal emirates. Using satellite data, particularly from 1990 to 2021, the total increase in land due to newly developed reclaimed areas in all UAE coastal emirates is calculated.