[Coral-List] floating islands

[Ulf Erlingsson]

It would have to be built like a huge oil platform, so that would give an idea of the complexity. But how about ECOLOGICALLY viable? There would be no shallow-water eco-systems...

Ulf

On 2012-09-05, at 12:00, Mark Tupper wrote:

> Hi Karl,
> 
> I talked to Geoff Cooper, an engineer who manages the Ports and Harbours Group at Klohn Crippen Berger, a global engineering/environmental design and consulting firm. He told me that 
> building such islands is actually not difficult, and there are increasing numbers of floating ports and terminals being proposed in areas where shipping traffic has increased beyond 
> the service limits of land-based ports. One such terminal was recently proposed here in Vancouver. However, maintaining these structures is a different matter and the Vancouver project 
> was scrapped due to the risks involved. Floating structures require very calm water and would normally be built within a semi-enclosed bay or within the lee of a land mass. The 
> Maldives are a chain of small atolls with no land high enough to create a windbreak and they are occasionally subject to typhoons. Moreover, in tropical marine settings, the lifespan 
> of steel and especially concrete used to build these structures is greatly reduced as compared to colder temperate oceans. It was Geoff's opinion that a large floating island in the 
> Maldives would not be viable.
> 
>> From a biological perspective, I don't see how mooring a floating island "for stability" reduces the effect on sea life. If an island large enough to house a golf course and resort 
> were moored over a reef area, the shading effect would probably kill the corals even if there was no physical disturbance. Also, without any kind of littoral or sublittoral substrate 
> connecting the floating island to the seafloor, it would not be able to develop fringing reefs or other tropical nearshore environments in the same way as a natural island, so 
> ecologically it wouldn't replace anything other than space for human activities and maybe roosting birds.
> 
> Cheers,
> Mark
> 
> 
> Dr. Mark Tupper, Director of Environmental Science
> Coastal Resources Association
> 16880 87 Ave., Surrey, BC, Canada V4N 5J4
> www.coastal-resources.org
> Email: mtupper at coastal-resources.org
> Tel. 1-604-576-1674; Mobile: 1-604-961-2022
> 
> Philippines Office: c/o Ricky Mijares
> Poblacion, Sagay, Camiguin, Philippines 9103
> Tel. 63-927-921-9915
> 
> On Tue Sep  4 20:40 , "Karl B Fellenius"  sent:
> 
>> Some folks may be interested in hearing about this. I have my doubts. Can anyone shed any light on if this island-building project is going ahead, or if its even a viable idea? Even 
> so, they don't mention any facilities for locals to relocate from the overpopulated Male.
>> http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/375525/20120820/floating-golf-course-maldives-sinking.htm
>>     Trends & Technology    
>> 
>> a.. $500M plan to replace the Maldives' sinking islands with man-made ones
>> Amid fears that many of its 1,190 islands will soon be submerged, the Maldives has formed a joint venture with architectural firm Dutch Docklands International to build the world's 
> biggest series of artificial floating islands in the Indian Ocean. The $500 million project will include a convention center, hotel, yacht club and solar-powered golf course. The 
> islands will be attached to the sea floor by cables or mooring piles for stability, reducing the effect on sea life.
>> --
>> Karl Fellenius, MRM
>> karl at fellenius.net
>> skype michka97
>> 
>> Jalan Umalas Kauh n. 76
>> Kerobokan-Seminyak
>> Bali 80117 
>> Indonesia
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