Low-lying islands and sea-level rise: how land raising offers a sustainable solution

Brown, Sally (2023) Low-lying islands and sea-level rise: how land raising offers a sustainable solution. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering, 176 (2), 54. (doi:10.1680/jcien.2023.176.2.54).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Small, low-lying atoll islands are often seen as helpless in the face of rising sea levels. New research from the University of Southampton shows that these island nations can adapt sustainably by sensitively raising and reclaiming land. Research leader Sally Brown reports.

Small, low-lying islands, such as the Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise. Global rises of over 1 m now appear to be inevitable due to climate change, which will submerge many coral atolls where the maximum elevation is currently just 1 m above mean sea level.

Atolls naturally accrete vertically and migrate horizontally so do have some potential to persist despite rising sea levels. But engineered sea defences and urbanisation have inhibited these natural processes, leaving inhabited islands vulnerable to increased flooding over the longer term.

New research shows that sensitively raising existing land and building new islands (Brown et al., 2023) offers the opportunity to mimic nature so that they can withstand sea-level rise. An example is the 2 m high 10.5 km2 reclaimed island of Hulhumalé, which has been under construction since 1997 (see the photograph). In addition to reducing population pressure on the capital Malé, it means extreme events, including tsunamis, now pose less of a threat (Brown et al., 2020; Speelman et al., 2021).

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