Photo By Cpl. Chandler Stacy | Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science...... read more read more
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Beneath the waves of our planet’s oceans are expansive natural structures that are both beautiful and necessary: coral reefs. The “rainforests of the sea” are vital to the health of global ecosystems whose fragility puts at risk nearly 25% of all ocean life, also including food, protection, and resources for about half a billion people. All coral reefs are unique to include those found in and around the waters off the coast of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. In particular, these reefs are home to approximately 7,000 known species of marine plants and animals, 1,250 of which are unique inhabitants of Hawaiian coral reefs.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Reefense project aims to develop self-healing, hybrid biological and engineered reef-mimicking structures to mitigate coastal flooding, erosion and storm damage while helping promote reef organism settlement growth and enabling the system to self-heal and keep pace with sea level rises over time. The Reefense project will improve the resiliency of coral reefs and help mitigate the effects of disease, temperature change and other environmental stressors.
In coordination with Marine Corps Base Hawaii, DARPA is also partnering with the University of Hawaii and U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center to tackle this complex, five-year project. USGS St. Petersburg researchers will provide UH and DARPA with sea floor data collected from the waters surrounding Marine Corps Base Hawaii to help predict coastal erosion patterns. USGS St. Petersburg researchers are also conducting offshore geological surveys using sonar technology to provide a high-resolution map of underwater terrain features.
“In the area surrounding Fort Hase, there are complex interactions between the geology, waves, wind, and sediment transport that all affects the erosion of the beach. What we’re doing is focusing in on the geology and the shape of the sea floor,” said Emily Wei, research geologist at USGS St. Petersburg.
With this collected data, UH researchers will have a accurate reference on where to position these novel coral reefs. USGS St. Petersburg was able to identify the best spots to place these structures with the aid of special technology that captures the imagery of the sea floor.
These artificial and living coral reefs will help promote the growth and allow for more species of marine life to thrive in the oceanic environment off the coast of the installation. Additionally, the coral reefs will provide homes for millions of species, healthy ocean food webs, and protect the coast lines of MCBH.
“They [University of Hawaii Researchers] would like to put in artificial and living hybrid coral reefs,” said Wei. “They plan to install these reef structures and hope to plant living corals on top. Hopefully, biology will take over and the corals will thrive in that environment.”
At the conclusion of this project, there will be carefully designed, new coral reef systems emplaced to help promote the sea life in the area and drastically improve the environment around the coast of the installation.
Coral reefs are critically important ecosystems that continue to face natural and manmade threats. If coral reefs disappeared, essential food, shelter, and spawning grounds for fish and other marine organisms would cease to exist, and biodiversity would greatly suffer as a result. With the help of these research efforts, MCBH, in unison with interagency partners, can continue to protect resources and promote resiliency on land and sea.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2023 21:56 |
| Story ID: | 448027 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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