Beaches around the world are shrinking as sea levels rise, and coastal communities are scrambling for solutions that go beyond traditional sand replenishment or seawalls. Now, a research effort connected to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is testing a new approach: combining artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to help a coastline literally grow itself back.
The project, first piloted in the Maldives, a low-lying island nation in the Indian Ocean that is especially vulnerable to rising waters, uses AI models to analyze satellite data and predict how sand and sediment naturally shift with currents, waves, and tides. Engineers then use those insights to design structures or interventions that work with those natural patterns, encouraging sand to accumulate and rebuild the shoreline rather than constantly hauling in new sand or building costly barriers.
Early results in the Maldives have been promising enough that researchers are now looking to bring the technology to U.S. shores, with pilot projects being planned for the coastlines of Boston and Miami — two cities already grappling with flooding and erosion linked to climate change.
If the approach proves scalable, it could offer coastal cities a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to conventional beach restoration as oceans continue to rise. To learn more about how the technology works and what researchers hope to achieve next, read the full story at the link below.
Source: Rising Seas Are Gobbling Up Beaches Around the World. A.I. Might Restore Them. (rss.nytimes.com).
Image: nattu, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).