Maldives not sinking! Natural resilience shocks scientists

Scientists have included Maldives on the list of the first countries to 'sink' due to global warming and sea level rise. Major foreign organisations studying climate change have estimated that 80% of Maldives will be under the sea by the end of this century.

There is no doubt about the prevalence of sea level rise today. This fact is evident from extensive studies and the observable changes right before our eyes. Scientists predicted that the Maldives would sink completely due to rising sea levels, believing that there would be no way for small islands to withstand the encroaching sea and survive.

This fragile country has defied all those assumptions. Drum roll, please! The Maldives’ islands are not sinking, as scientists previously believed.

The New York Times, one of the world's most famous newspapers, published a report on the Maldives' islands last week.

Scientists Arthur Webb and Paul Kench set out to understand the changes in low-lying islands due to the rising tide by observing the view from above. They collected aerial photographs of 27 Pacific islands since the mid-20th century and compared them with recent photographs.

The findings surprised even the scientists:

Other scientists have gathered more information in the light of these findings. When looking at the changes that have taken place in thousands of islands so far, the same things have been noticed. Some islands have eroded and shrunk, while others have grown. However, most islands have not changed much overall.

Maldives has always been popular among scientists due to its natural characteristics. In addition, their interest has lately increased as Maldives is on the list as one of the first countries to experience the effects of climate change.

A team of scientists arrived in the Maldives' largest province, Huvadhoo Atoll, to study the changes caused by sea level rise. The scientists were accompanied by a New York Times team who spent two weeks in Maldives. The newspaper report takes note from the findings:

Scientists are now trying to find out the reasons behind the growth of some islands while the others shrank. The team of scientists of the 2010 study includes Dr Kench as well.

In Kench’s research, he also uncovered some of the detailed changes that have taken place in individual islands. The New York Times report showed the shape of the uninhabited island of Kandahalagala in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll.

During the last half century, the island underwent significant changes in its shape. First the northern beaches eroded and the southern side grew. Over the next five years, the eastern end eroded somewhat. Then, the western sands grew. The sand that formed in the northwest in 2019 has now spread evenly on both sides. The chicken-egg shaped island 55 years ago now looks oval on one end and round on the other.

The scientists' findings show the perfection of natural systems and the resilience of low-lying islands. They’ve decided that low-lying islands are adapting to rising sea levels. If so, is there anything we need to do to adapt to climate change?

Although the latest results prove that Maldives is not 'sinking', the risks we face with climate change do not end there. Increased incidence of flooding and swelling tides, as well as the rising temperatures are dire situations we have to deal with even now, in the present.

No matter how perfect the natural systems are, we are seeing the destruction of islands due to development projects that disrupt the natural cycles. There are islands that have suddenly faced major erosion problems with the implementation of large projects such as port construction.

A similar thing happened in Himandhoo. With the construction of the port, the sand that used to flow around the island was blocked and pulled out. As a result, the western side began to erode at a surprising rate.

Therefore, it is essential to carry out environmentally friendly projects in the light of new findings and information. It is important to work with experts to find new innovative solutions without sacrificing resilience for ‘concrete’ development.

The team of scientists currently conducting research in Maldives is also hoping for such solutions. Instead of building sea walls and revetment around every island, they mention some of the steps that can be taken:

The growing and moving sands around the islands of Maldives are created by sea creatures such as parrotfish that eat coral and excrete sand. Therefore, the resilience of islands depend completely on the well-being of marine life, including the reefs that surround islands.

This is essential to consider at a time when global events of coral bleaching are increasing and the risk of reef’s dying rise due to increased dredging and sand mining.

The World Bank also noted in its 'Country Environmental Analysis' on Maldives this year that development projects are causing serious damage to the reefs, and that at a time when sea levels are rising, the country's rural area survival depends on the health of the marine environment around the islands.

Without the reef system, Maldives would have to spend 8% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) each year to compensate for flood damage, the World Bank report said.

It is a fact that natural systems have the ability to adapt to changes caused by global warming. As ocean temperatures rise, corals are adapting to it. Just like the islands are adapting to rising sea levels.

No matter how perfect, natural systems cannot compensate for the damage caused by human actions. Both reefs and islands are most affected by our actions. The most important thing we can do to mitigate the damage caused by climate change is to protect the environment and seek protection from it.