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The Palm Islands consist of three artificial archipelagos: Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands, and Palm Jebel Ali, [1] on the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Palm Islands were constructed around the same time as The World Islands. Nakheel Properties is the Palm Islands real estate developer. [2] The creation of the islands began in 2001 and ended around 2006/2007. These islands have significantly impacted ocean sediment and wildlife in the surrounding area. [3] [ unreliable source? ]
Palm Jumeirah ( Google 25°07′00″N55°08′00″E / 25.11667°N 55.13333°E ) is the site of numerous private residences and hotels. From the air, the archipelago resembles a stylized palm tree within a circle. Construction began in 2001 and was financed mainly by Dubai's income from petroleum. By 2009, 28 hotels had opened on the site. The Atlantis is the largest hotel currently constructed on Palm Jumeirah. The island has a population of over 18,000 people as of 2015. [4]
Palm Jebel Ali ( Google 25°00′N54°59′E / 25.000°N 54.983°E ) is an artificial archipelago that features a palm tree that is 50% larger than the original Palm Jumeirah. [5] The island has a larger crescent shape. Space has been created between the crescent and the tree to build boardwalks that encircle the "fronds" of the "palm" and spell out an Arabic poem written by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Construction on the island began in 2001, but progression was halted due to the Great Recession.
The Deira Islands ( 25°20′00″N55°16′05″E / 25.3333°N 55.2681°E ) are four undeveloped artificial islands off the coast of Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As of 2021, little development has occurred on the islands. At first, the project—which was supposed to be a part of the Palm Islands—was known as Palm Deira. It was intended to be the biggest palm of the three, roughly eight times as big as the Palm Jumeirah. [5]
Dubai built the Palm Tree Islands to increase the coastline for tourists. Dubai is known for its sunny weather and beaches, but more than 72 km (45 miles) of coastline was needed to accommodate the goal of tripling the number of tourists to 15 million annually. The solution was to construct a massive island shaped like a palm tree, which, upon completion in 2006, would add 56 km (35 miles) to the coastline. The island is designed to be a city within itself, featuring shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, and residential properties. [6] [ unreliable source? ]
Palm Jumeirah was built entirely from sand and rocks; no concrete or steel was used to build the island. This was done following the order of the Ruler of Dubai, who came up with the idea for Palm Islands and the design. [7] [ unreliable source? ]
Installation of utilities and pipelines was complicated and required a lot of labour. [11] [ unreliable source? ]
To counteract the waves and constant motion of the sea, breakwaters were built around the island. They are 3 meters high and 160 km in total length. Expanded over a length of about 11.5 km, the base of these breakwaters and the island itself were constantly monitored during the construction process with the help of deep-sea divers. The divers checked the alignment and placement of the rocks beneath the surface to ensure their stability. The shape of the island was monitored using the global positioning system.
The sand on top of the island was sprayed by a technique called rainbowing. [12] [ self-published source? ] The whole island was planned to have no stagnant water between the island and the breakwaters. To achieve this, small structural modifications were made to the breakwaters surrounding the island, allowing the seawater to move through the breakers without causing any damage to the island. [13] To prevent erosion of the sand from the island, maintenance systems spray material along the coast of the island and also along the coast of Dubai.
A vibro-compaction technique was used to prevent the process of liquefaction. [14] This was done to hold the island's base together and to make a strong foundation for further construction. [15] [ self-published source? ]
The construction of the Palm Islands along the coast of Dubai has had a significant impact on the surrounding environment, resulting in changes to area wildlife (especially aquatic life), coastal erosion, alongshore sediment transport, and wave patterns. [3] [ unreliable source? ]
The origin of most of the environmental damage stems from disturbed sediment from the construction of the Palm Island. The sediment decreased the amount of sunlight filtering down to the sea vegetation and injured the surrounding marine fauna. [16] Environmental disturbances caused by changes in sediment and coastal erosion have attracted the attention of environmental groups such as Greenpeace, [8] [ self-published source? ] who criticized the Palm Islands for the lack of sustainability.
The non-profit environmental news service Mongabay has reported on Dubai's artificial islands, stating that:
Significant changes in the maritime environment [of Dubai] [... ] As a result of the dredging and redepositing of sand for the construction of the islands, the typically crystalline waters of the Persian Gulf at Dubai have become severely clouded with silt. Construction activity is damaging the marine habitat, burying coral reefs, oyster beds and subterranean fields of seagrass, threatening local marine species and other species dependent on them for food. Oyster beds have been covered in as much as two inches of sediment, while above the water, beaches are eroding with the disruption of natural currents
In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund announced, "[The] UAE's human pressure on global ecosystems (its ecological footprint) [is] the highest in the world. The country is supposedly at present five times more unsustainable than any other country" (Samarai, 2007). It also mentioned that the construction from the start-up to date had caused many visible ecological and environmental changes that threatened the future.[ citation needed ]
According to a study published in the journal Water in 2022, the construction of Palm Jumeirah Island has increased water-soluble materials, changed the water's spectral profile, and increased the water surface temperature around the island. [17]
Variations in alongshore sediment transport have resulted in changes in erosion patterns along the UAE coast, which has also been exacerbated by altered wave patterns as the waters of the Persian Gulf attempt to move around the new obstruction of the islands. [18] [ unreliable source? ] The rock walls constructed around the palm islands can result in different wave patterns along the coast of Dubai. Instead of hitting the shores directly, the waves move unusually around the new obstruction. This has led to the weakening of the shores of Dubai. [19] [ failed verification ]
To properly manage their shorelines and effects, Dubai relies on its coastal monitoring program. Established in 1997, the Dubai Coastal Monitoring program began studying the baseline bathymetric (measurement of the depth of water in oceans or seas) and topographic survey of the Jumeirah (Dubai) coastline.[ citation needed ]
Additional data was collected with technological improvements, including remote video monitoring of Dubai beaches, sediment sampling and analysis, near-shore directional wave and current recordings, and intensive measurement exercises at selected locations using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) equipment. Because of this, they can constantly monitor the continuously changing environmental conditions along the coast of Dubai. [8] [ self-published source? ]
Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle of incoming wave direction. Oblique incoming wind squeezes water along the coast, generating a water current that moves parallel to the coast. Longshore drift is simply the sediment moved by the longshore current. This current and sediment movement occurs within the surf zone. The process is also known as littoral drift.
Beach nourishment describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from other sources. A wider beach can reduce storm damage to coastal structures by dissipating energy across the surf zone, protecting upland structures and infrastructure from storm surges, tsunamis and unusually high tides. Beach nourishment is typically part of a larger integrated coastal zone management aimed at coastal defense. Nourishment is typically a repetitive process since it does not remove the physical forces that cause erosion but simply mitigates their effects.
A breakwater is a permanent structure constructed at a coastal area to protect against tides, currents, waves, and storm surges. Breakwaters have been built since antiquity to protect anchorages, helping isolate vessels from marine hazards such as wind-driven waves. A breakwater, also known in some contexts as a jetty or a mole, may be connected to land or freestanding, and may contain a walkway or road for vehicle access.
The World Islands are an archipelago of small artificial islands constructed in the shape of a world map, located in the waters of the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The World Islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters and are one of several artificial island developments in the emirate. The World's developer is Nakheel Properties, and the project was originally conceived by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Construction was done by two Dutch joint-venture specialist companies, Van Oord and Boskalis. The same companies also created the Palm Jumeirah.
Nakheel Properties is a real estate development company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The formal name of the company is Nakheel PJSC and it was a subsidiary of Dubai World and a private state-owned enterprise.
Dubai Marina, aka Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is an artificial canal city built along a 3-kilometre (2 mi) stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. As of 2018, it has a population of 55,052. When the entire development is complete, it will accommodate more than 120,000 people in residential towers and villas. It is located on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Palm Jebel Ali is an artificial archipelago in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It began construction in October 2002 and was originally planned to be completed by mid-2008 but has been on hold since. It was relaunched in 2023.
The Dubai Islands, formerly known as the Deira Islands are four artificial islands off the coast of Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The project was initially called Palm Deira and was planned to be part of the Palm Islands. As of 2021, little development has taken place on the islands due to the financial crisis of 2007–2008.
The Palm Jumeirah is an archipelago of artificial islands on the Persian Gulf in Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands, including Palm Jebel Ali and the Dubai Islands, which, when completed, will together increase Dubai's shoreline by a total of 520 kilometres (320 mi). It has a population of over 25,000 as of 2022.
Beach evolution occurs at the shoreline where sea, lake or river water is eroding the land. Beaches exist where sand accumulated from centuries-old, recurrent processes that erode rocky and sedimentary material into sand deposits. River deltas deposit silt from upriver, accreting at the river's outlet to extend lake or ocean shorelines. Catastrophic events such as tsunamis, hurricanes, and storm surges accelerate beach erosion.
The government of Dubai took a decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented. This has made real estate and other developments more valuable, thus resulting in a property boom from 2004 to 2006. Construction on a large scale has turned Dubai into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. There are a number of large-scale projects which are currently under construction or are to be constructed in the future. Due to the heavy construction which is taking place in Dubai, 30,000 construction cranes, which are 25% of cranes worldwide, are operating in Dubai. Due to the burst of construction, Dubai has acquired various building-related records, which include: the world's tallest tower, the world's largest shopping mall, the world's largest fountain and the world's tallest hotel. Also under construction is Dubailand, which will be almost twice the size of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Dubai Creek has been described as a natural saltwater creek, tidal inlet, and watercourse or waterway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It extends about 9 miles (14 km) inwards and forms a natural port that has traditionally been used for trade and transport. The creek ranges from 200 to 1,200 metres in width while the average depth is about 6.5 to 7 metres. Previously, it extended to Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary but as part of the new Business Bay Canal and Dubai Canal, it extends a further 13 km (8.1 mi) to the Persian Gulf.
The Universe was a planned artificial archipelago in the shape of the Milky Way and Solar System, to be built on the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Universe was to be located between the Palm Jumeirah, The World, Jumeirah, and the Palm Deira. The project plan was put on hold indefinitely in 2009, and later removed from developers website.
There are many tourist attractions in Dubai, resulting from the large scale construction boom. Dubai received 14 million tourists from all around the world in 2015. Euromonitor ranked the world's 150 most visited cities by international tourists in 2009; Dubai ranked 7th. Dubai welcomed 14.36M visitors in 2022. Dubai's economy relies on many sections of the "state", one of the most important being tourism, in 2014 total 70,475,636 passengers traveled through Dubai Airport.
Jumeira Beach is a white sand beach that is located and named after the Jumeirah district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. It stretches along the coast south of the city's historic district to the junction with The Palm Jumeirah and terminates between the southern end of the Jumeirah Beach Residence and the port facilities at Jebel Ali.
Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates and is roughly at sea level. The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at 25.2697°N 55.3095°E and covers an area of 1,588 sq mi (4,110 km2), which represents a significant expansion beyond its initial 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) designation due to land reclamation from the sea.
Major land reclamation in the United Arab Emirates, though a relatively recent phenomenon, has significantly changed the geography of some parts of the country. Multiple land reclamation projects, both completed, under construction, and planned, have changed the appearance of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other emirates.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Dubai.
Media related to The Palm at Wikimedia Commons