3 ms·
That's 2.6 * 10^8 cubic meters of compacted dirt and rock needed to raise the island by 10m-- which is more than 1500 kg/cubic meter (1.5 tonnes/cubic meter).
by mlyle 5y ago
That's 2.6 * 10^8 cubic meters of compacted dirt and rock needed to raise the island by 10m-- which is more than 1500 kg/cubic meter (1.5 tonnes/cubic meter).
The largest bulk carriers manage about 400,000 DWT.
So, about 1000 trips of the largest around... ignoring the logistical and ecological challenges of procuring that much material and using it to raise the island in a durable way.
- prepend 5y agoThat actually seems pretty achievable since there’s centuries of time needed to raise 10m (assuming we keep on without any controls). I hope the math for how much it costs isn’t so low as to be sad to fix this problem in the wrong way.
- JumpCrisscross 5y ago> seems pretty achievable Why not give the cost of that operation to every Tuvaluan, along with a promise that they and their family can emigrate to a country of their choosing?
- mlyle 5y agoI'm not sure how much you need to raise the island. Just matching sea level rise isn't enough, because Tuvalu would really be better off being a couple meters higher to reduce storm damages before climate change started, and climate change both raises the seas and makes intense storms more common. But more importantly than the amount you need to raise the islands: 26 sq km * 1 meter probably doesn't raise the islands anywhere close to 1 meter, because of: * Early losses from erosion and compaction * The angle of repose around the islands (you can't just build the island straight up 1 meter).
- randyrand 5y ago10m is massize!