sediment transport along the shore There is also a dramatic change in wave patterns along the coast of Dubai due to the rock walls constructed around the palm islands. Instead of hitting the shores directly, the waves move unusually around the new obstruction. This has led to the weakening of the shores of Dubai. The origin of most of the environmental damage stems from disturbed sediment from construction of the Palm islands. The sediment decreased the amount of sunlight filtering down to the sea vegetation and injured the surrounding marine fauna. Environmental disturbances caused by changes in sediment and coastal erosion have attracted the attention of environmental groups such as Greenpeace. The World Wildlife Fund announced in 2006, "[The] UAE's human pressure on global ecosystems (its ecological footprint) [is] the highest in the world. The country is supposedly at present five times more unsustainable than any other country" (Samarai 2007). It also mentioned that the construction from the start up to date had caused many visible ecological and environmental changes that threatened the future. Remedial Measure to Protect the Coast To properly manage their shorelines and effects, Dubai relies on its coastal monitoring program. Established in 1997, the Dubai coastal monitoring program began studying the baseline bathymetric (measurement of the depth of water in oceans or seas) and topographic survey of the Jumeirah (Dubai) coastline. Additional data was collected with technological improvements, including remote video monitoring of Dubai beaches, sediment sampling and analysis, near-shore directional wave and current recordings and intensive measurement exercises at selected locations using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) equipment. This way, they could constantly monitor and check on the continuously changing environmental conditions along the coast of Dubai. See also The World, another artificial island project in Dubai Tourism in Dubai Ocean colonization Tourist attractions in Dubai References External links The Palm Islands official website Gallery of The Palm Islands Timelapse animation of The Palm Islands construction The Palm Islands - slideshow by The First Post Nakheel Properties Resorts in Dubai Archipelagoes of the United Arab Emirates