The Future of Dubai
From the ergs and oasis of the desert to the strata in the Hajar mountains and the artificial Palm Islands on the Dubai coast, this country has a lot to offer geographically and physically. The oasis is an invitation to the aquifer underneath the ground, while the strata houses some of the world's precious natural resource, oil. The great Palm Islands on the other hand, offer an amazing insight to the affects of longshore drift after periods of time and throughout the seasons.
Within the next 1,000 years the world will most likely continue to warm up. Not because of global warming persay but because the world naturally goes through cold phases and warm phases, and we are currently in a warm phase, therefore; the glaciers in Antarctica are going to further melt, making ocean levels rise. This would be detrimental to the Palm Islands through longshore drift. The North West winds called "shamal" would take the shore sediments East to the Straight of Hormuz washing away meters and meters of sand at a time. Eventually the buildings would collapse into the ocean and the ergs of the desert will take back it original form. The aquifer fueling the oasis and providing water for wells is going to deplete and the desert will be drier than ever, and the Hajar mountains in 1,000 years will be stripped of all natural resources like oil.
Dubai, before the skyscraper glory, and after.
In the next 10,000 years it is possible the world may slip back into another cold phase creating another ice age. Dubai along with North Africa, just like in the past, will be covered by glaciers. Life forms might adapt to the changes or they will be scarce. Dubai won't be so busy for once.
What the ice age would look like for the shore countries.
1,000,000 years from now I would expect the glaciers in Dubai to melt and retreat back to the North and South poles, allowing plant life to once again thrive from the water left behind in tarns or soaked in the ground. The aquifer might even replenish itself and the oils between the strata of the Hajar mountains can once again be found. There might be an oasis instead of the desert in Dubai and the longshore drift will again affect the shore, but only naturally. Until the next species comes along.
Dubai back to being an oasis.
Works Cited
Chris Bradley. “Dubai past and Present.” https://www.insightguides.com/destinations/africa-middle-east/united-arab-emirates/dubai/cultural-features/dubai-past-and-present.
Gary Fuelner. “Geographic Overview.” https://www.uaeinteract.com/uaeint_misc/teanh/005over.pdf.
Global Water Intelligence. “Topping Off Dubai’s Old Wells.” Volume 13. Issue 2 (Feb.2012). https://www.globalwaterintel.com/archive/13/2/general/topping-dubais-old-wells.html.
Maddrell, R.J. 1995. Harbour Developments in the United Arab Emirates and their Impact on Coastal Morphology. Goa, India.
