Countries Are Building Giant ‘Sand Motors’ to Protect Their Coasts From Erosion

A “sand motor” isn’t an actual motor—it’s a sculpted landscape that works with nature rather than against it.

Instead of rebuilding a beach with an even line of new sand, engineers extend one section of the shoreline out into the sea.

Over time, the natural wave action of the ocean acts as a “motor” that pushes the sand from this protruding landmass out along the rest of the natural shoreline.

The World Bank is the world’s largest source of funding for climate adaptation projects in developing nations.

Benin 's coastline is eroding faster than almost any other place in the world.

Parts of the country's shoreline are eroding by as much as 45 feet every year and miles of beach have vanished since the turn of century .

Beach communities in Florida can't wait years for the sand from a sand motor to drift toward their beaches.

The process of erosion is so far advanced in places like South Florida that there may not be enough sand to build a motor.

Previous dredging efforts have drained offshore deposits of high-quality sand, leaving only low-quality material that won't work.