CLIMATE TECH
MIT is building fake reefs to save real beaches
Data centres may be gobbling up our water, but AI could save our beaches!
Coastal Assembly, a project that started at MIT, has made its way to the Maldives to reverse coastal erosion. And so far, the mission has been a success… to the tune of extending the beach 90 feet toward the sea.
This is major. Vanishing coastlines have put 1.2 billion people at risk of displacement by 2050. An effective AI intervention could help keep communities intact for much longer.
The beach building process:
AI analyzed 10 years of satellite imagery and data to predict erosion patterns in the Maldives.
Coastal Assembly installed 54 hexagonal, marine-concrete structures that trap sand while letting currents flow through.
The beach has roughly doubled in size. Coral, fish, and marine life have made a home in the new habitat.
Scaling the shoreline
Next up is Boston, Miami, and the Bahamas. Plus 10 more stops are already planned in the Maldives.
Coastal Assembly is monitoring erosion at roughly 900 sites worldwide. This process once took months of manual surveying, but thanks to AI those results are ready within the same day.
Whether these beach-saving structures hold up long term is still TBD. But for now, they’re buying these vulnerable coastlines and the surrounding communities something they desperately need. Time.
Making waves AND beaches. - TL