Palm Jumeirah Reef
Several years have been spent documenting the sea life around The Palm Jumeirah, before, during and after reclamation. While the original intent of the development was to create a foundation for a variety of landscapes and seascapes, we’ve discovered that our development has actually stimulated the propagation of a complex marine ecosystem.
In creating the breakwater that protects the The Palm Jumeirah, only natural rock was used. The importance of using natural material in the creation of the island was key to encouraging the development of marine life in the area. Using natural rock has effectively created a 280 hectare reef on which corals and a complex marine eco-system has grown, and has resulted in a dramatic increase of fish density in the area.
The placement of rocks in the marine environment directly provided a hard substrate suitable for colonization by algae and other pioneering organisms such as barnacles, sponges, and clams. Primary and secondary marine animals such as urchins, crabs and fish soon followed. Furthermore, as the island was reclaimed, soft bottomed protected sub-tidal zones were created which created favoured habitat for two species of seagrasses to colonize. These seagrass meadows in turn provide a valuable food source and protection for turtles and a variety of fish. The seagrasses also help maintain good water quality by increasing the oxygen content, capturing nutrients from the water and stabilizing the sediments.
In fact, it is not only the natural reef on the breakwater that will attract divers – and fish. Two passenger aircraft have been salvaged, environmentally sanitized and sunk into the nearby shallow waters. The same process of colonization that happened on the breakwater has happened on the planes. These artificial reefs with man-made materials provide a visually fascinating dive site just off the breakwater of The Palm Jumeirah.
