DOD agency teams with universities to develop hybrid super reefs to protect coastal bases

Our coasts are constantly damaged from flooding, erosion and storm surges. These damages become worse and more severe during hurricane season. Our military has numerous bases on our country’s coasts that have been getting severely damaged during storms then the Defense Department is spending billions of dollars to repair the bases’ hurricane and flooding damages. In 2018 there was $9 billion worth of destruction from storms. There are more than 1,700 military installations on coasts worldwide and they all need more protection from coastal destruction.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have enlisted corals, oysters and teams of scientists to protect coastal bases. The researchers are developing “hybrid reefs,” which are a combination of concrete structures, living corals and oyster beds to break up damaging waves. Coral and oyster reefs protect coastlines against flooding and erosion by breaking up large waves. When the wave bumps into the reef, some of the energy is lost and redirected. Research shows that a well-placed reef can absorb about 97% of a wave’s energy.

The Defense Department has created a $19.4 million grant to fund the “Reefense” Program that has the goal to design the hybrid reefs to be built quickly to protect the military bases and coastal communities. The cost is estimated to be less than $300 per cubic meter or reef. The goal is to create the artificial reefs to be like LEGOs so they fit together and the Army Corps of Engineers can install miles of the artificial reefs to protect the areas then the corals and oysters can grow naturally. If this is successful then millions of dollars, bases and costal communities can be saved. To learn more about this incredible project please see the Miami Herald article on the Stars and Stripes DOD agency teams with universities to develop hybrid super reefs to protect coastal bases | Stars and Stripes