The Middle East’s coastlines are renowned for their stunning vistas, attracting beachgoers from across the region. This growing influx of visitors has led to an increased demand for coastal development, which, coupled with the effects of climate change, is accelerating the process of coastal erosion. 

Rising sea levels, stronger storms, and higher temperatures accelerate coastal erosion, while rapid urban development, industrialization, and resource overexploitation worsen the situation. Climate change and uncontrolled development are eroding land and endangering key marine habitats, such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows, which are crucial for marine life.

CONSTRUCTION EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM

Dr. Bassam Shuhaibar, an Associate Research Scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, highlighted that construction along the coast could exacerbate the natural flow of waves and act as a barrier, disrupting the movement of sediment carried by the water. 

Dr. Shuhaibar adds that the more development, construction, and human activity along the coast, the greater the disruption to the “natural hydrodynamic balance.”

“Roughly 40% of the Gulf’s coastline is modified by human activities, with substantial reclamation, dredging, and coastal infrastructure projects reshaping local hydrodynamics”, says Dr. John Burt, Professor of Biology and Co-Principal at The Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences at NYU Abu Dhabi. 

IMPACT ON MARINE LIFE

Dr. Burt explains that coastal erosion has complex impacts on marine habitats, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem health, though usually in specific, localized areas. 

In the Arabian Gulf, where coastal development alters sediment movement, nearby ecosystems such as seagrass beds and coral reefs are at risk. 

Coral reefs, often located close to shore, are especially susceptible to sediment deposition. For instance, offshore construction more than a kilometer away indirectly affected a coral reef in the Jebel Ali area in Dubai. This disruption changed wave and sediment transport patterns, leading to sediment buildup, ultimately degrading the reef’s health.

Marine biologist Sherif Abdullah highlights a similar concern, stating that coastal erosion leads to the degradation of critical habitats such as mangroves. These habitats are essential for fish spawning, serve as nurseries, and provide shelter for various marine species. 

“The loss of these habitats jeopardizes the survival of species that depend on them, often resulting in population declines or even extinction in some cases. Furthermore, erosion increases sedimentation and turbidity in coastal waters, which harms ecosystems like coral reefs and seagrass meadows by limiting sunlight penetration and disrupting vital photosynthetic processes.”

Fisheries are also at risk of decline. Dr. Sandra Knuteson, Senior Lecturer of Environmental Sciences at the American University of Sharjah, highlights the vital role of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds as breeding grounds for fish. When these habitats are damaged, fish populations may decrease, threatening fisheries and the livelihoods that depend on them. 

Furthermore, the sand deposits caused by coastal erosion can harm fish by clogging their gills, exacerbating the risk to their survival. 

However, Dr. Knuteson points out that with proper management during development, we can minimize the impact on this area. For example, using sand silt nets during construction can help protect these ecosystems by reducing the amount of sediment that harms them. It is key to implement best management practices and ensure they are part of the environmental impact assessments before development

Dr. Bassam emphasizes the need for community involvement to safeguard marine life. “The local community is not that active in our region.” According to him, awareness of the challenges posed by coastal erosion is very low in our region, especially when compared to countries like the Netherlands. 

CAN AI PROTECT SHORELINES?

“Emerging technologies, such as remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI), present opportunities to predict and mitigate coastal erosion impacts,” says Dr. Burt. 

Abdullah emphasizes the growing role of AI in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data from marine and coastal ecosystems. This helps monitor marine life, detect coastal erosion, and tackle environmental threats. AI not only deepens scientific understanding but also supports the development of timely interventions to safeguard marine and coastal environments.

AI tools allow for accurate mapping, helping to design targeted mitigation strategies. In Dr. Burt’s publication, Remote Sensing of 50 Years of Coastal Urbanization and Environmental Change in the Arabian Gulf: A Systematic Review, co-authored with three other experts, urged all stakeholders—from RS specialists and environmentalists to urban planners and policymakers—to collaborate in harnessing this technology. He emphasizes that by leveraging AI to analyze remote sensing data, policymakers, planners, and coastal communities can gain valuable insights into coastal dynamics and develop proactive strategies to mitigate the impacts of coastal erosion and protect marine life.

Dr. Bassam highlights that modeling scenarios like shoreline changes due to erosion requires large amounts of data. Traditional methods, excluding validation time, can take days or weeks to produce results.

AI and machine learning (ML) offer a faster solution. For example, traditional methods run each case separately to predict shoreline changes near the Kuwait Towers with different wind directions, consuming time and resources. With AI/ML, once the model for one case is validated, ML uses that data to predict the second case quickly, reducing weeks of work to hours. This approach can also be applied to complex climate change models.

Human development, combined with the accelerating effects of climate change, poses significant risks to local marine life and fisheries. While humanity has the advantage of innovation and technology, natural ecosystems require thousands of years to evolve or recover. To mitigate the damage, harnessing emerging advanced technologies, implementing effective management strategies, and fostering community involvement are essential.