Continuous testing of the seabed and water takes place during and after construction of each phase of the Sea City project to monitor the condition of the sea and coast. Scientists take water and sand samples from many locations to monitor water and sediment quality.
Marine life is now flourishing in what was once relatively lifeless desert. Even new coral is growing in the lagoons. According to a study conducted in the new marine environment, over 1,000 marine macrobiota, including 100 commercial fish and shellfish species, inhabited the waterways within just a few years of bringing seawater to the desert. The species richness after just 4 years was equivalent to that of the open sea.
Mangroves, a salt-tolerant plant, are raised in nurseries and then planted on islands in the new lagoons. The mangroves provide nurseries for fish and stabilize the marine bed. Since the waterways are semi-enclosed, they provide protected nurseries for fish, shellfish, and other wildlife. Bees were also introduced to pollinate the salt-tolerant plants. The aim is to have a coastal landscape that can survive without freshwater.
A breakwater also needed to be built. This detached breakwater was built with 28,000 hexagonal concrete blocks, which were cast on site. These were used instead of rock because rock would not have been strong enough to protect the city and its lagoons from the currents of the open Gulf.
The new marine environment created is the heart of the project. Sea City is becoming at once a thriving ecosystem and a modern city.