Key Points
In response, Tyndall will later this month test a new way to protect shorelines from intensified waves and storm surges: a prototype artificial reef, designed by a team led by Rutgers University scientists..
Cheekily called Reefense, the initiative is the Pentagons effort to test if hybrid reefs, combining manmade structures with oysters or corals, can perform as well as a good ol seawall..
The colossal, complex, and porous character of this surface exhausts wave energy over long distances, says Ben Jones, an oceanographer for the Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaiiand head of the universitys Reefense project..
The foundation is made of long, hexagonal logs punctured with large holes; atop it is a dense layer with smaller holesimagine a sponge made of concrete, says Andrew Baker, director of the universitys Coral Reef Futures Lab and the Reefense team lead...
Around the world, there are efforts tackling various pieces of the puzzle, like breeding coral for greater heat resistance, or combining coral and oysters with artificial reefs, or designing low-carbon concrete that makes building these structures less environmentally damaging..
