Concrete module with self-healing oyster reef structure installed to protect military base in Florida’s Panhandle Bay

U.S. Air Force officials on Oct. 30 launched a new type of ship, the first part of a Rutgers University-designed “self-healing” facility, in the waters of St. Andrew Bay off the coast of Tyndall Air Force Base in northwest Florida. The structure was installed. A coral reef made of custom-designed concrete modules and live oysters. The reef is designed to protect the base and its residents from hurricanes and storm surges.

As visitors watched, a crane lifted what would eventually become a 150-foot-wide coral reef made of about 800 interconnected concrete cubes created by Rutgers scientists and collaborators from multiple institutions. I took it down. The structure has been raised to shallow water approximately 60 meters from the shoreline.

The concrete provides the hard substrate the oysters need to attach, and is specifically designed to ensure that more oysters are naturally attracted to the structure next year, ultimately resulting in a resilient hybrid ‘living ” form coral reefs.

Air Force officials are testing an experimental reef to assess whether it provides sufficient coastal protection against an oncoming storm. This international effort involving more than 60 researchers aims to develop self-healing hybrid organisms to reduce coastal flooding, erosion, and storm damage that increasingly threatens civilian and U.S. Department of Defense infrastructure and personnel. It focuses on the development of structures that mimic coral reefs both scientifically and engineeringly.

Category 5 Hurricane Michael, which devastated the Florida Panhandle in October 2018, tore through Tyndall’s hangar, damaged several supersonic stealth fighters known as F-22 Raptors, and destroyed much of the base. was left in ruins.

“This experiment will help protect and strengthen the Gulf’s shoreline, making it more robust and resilient,” said lead scientist David Bushek, director of the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Institute and professor in the Department of Oceanography. “This will demonstrate the capabilities of the module.” Coastal Science at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

Oysters grow in groups rather than individually and stick together to form natural sea walls in shallow waters. Such organic structures effectively protect shorelines, but they can break down during major storms, Bushek said. The hybrid living shoreline at the center of the experiment includes both man-made and natural components intentionally designed to be more durable without negatively impacting the marine environment.

Buszek observed the facility with Katherine Campbell, DARPA’s Reefens program manager, and other members of the research team.

This project builds on Rutgers’ historical strength as the home of the oldest and world-class oyster farming program. An analysis by Chinese scientists considered the most comprehensive to date ranks two of Rutgers’ oyster researchers in second place and 15th place in a ranking of the world’s most productive and prolific oyster researchers. Ranked in first place.

The effort also leverages faculty’s recent innovations in materials science, fluid-dynamic modeling, and what scientists call “adaptive biology.” This phrase refers to the ability of organisms to change in response to environmental pressures, such as rising temperatures or increased risk of disease.

The squat 2-foot-by-450-pound honeycomb modules that will be installed will be made of specially engineered low-carbon footprint concrete and covered with disease-resistant oysters grown through genomic selection. Masu. This structure is expected to stabilize and protect the shoreline more effectively than its natural counterpart.

Similar to the acoustic chamber’s sound-absorbing cones, the holes in the module are designed to absorb and dissipate wave energy, protecting the shore below and shallow areas close to the shoreline. This structure also pushes larger waves farther, further protecting the area.

“We wanted to develop an ecologically functional engineered structure that would provide the strength and longevity of a rigid structure while promoting the benefits provided by the organisms that colonize the module.” Bushek he said. “In doing so, we have made many discoveries and advances in science and technology over the past few years. We have come a long way.”

Bushek is working with project co-investigator Richard Liman, a distinguished professor at Rutgers School of Engineering, who is leading the development of the artificial reef. Collaborators at Rutgers include Haskin Institute and SEBS Distinguished Professor Ximing Guo and Associate Professor Daphne Munroe, and School of Engineering Professor Hani Nassif.

Dozens of scientists and engineers from universities in the United States and Australia are actively participating in this collaboration.