Oyster wall: the USA’s new shield against hurricanes

The United States is gearing up to deploy a groundbreaking defence against hurricanes: an eco-friendly sea wall designed to absorb up to 90% of wave energy. 

America believes it has the latest solution to control one of the deadliest natural phenomena on the planet: the hurricane. In fact, it is currently preparing the ultimate defence mechanism against hurricanes, which should help to absorb up to 90% of the energy from waves, acting as an environmentally-friendly sea wall.

Oyster reefs will serve as a natural barrier to soften hurricane surges

Thanks to the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), funding has been provided to construct artificial reefs of coral and oyster colonies. With the growing propoensity of high-intensity storms and hurricanes due to climate change, it is hoped that this project, known as “Reefense,” will allow for almost 100% of the energy to be absorbed by the waves and in comparison to traditional sea walls, this will be a completely eco-friendly strategy. The project is fascinating and promising in that it is hoped that it will mitigate hurricanes, as well as some other natural disasters. However, understandably, there is concern as nature cannot be restrained, predicted or controlled as easily as some man-made problems.

The initiative from DARPA, using the coral reefs as barriers, was innovated by Rutgers University academics and aside from providing a protective barrier and to weaken the intensity of hurricane surges, it hopes to benefit marine ecosystems and encourage biodiversity. David Bushek, the director of Rutgers’ Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory said: “If researchers can optimize these creatures to work in tandem with new artificial structures placed at sea, they believe the resulting barriers can take 90 percent of the energy out of waves.”

Coral and oyster reefs promote biodiversity, improve water quality and boost the local economy

With regards to biodiversity, the project will promote the growth of oysters and these will serve to form a naturally protective barrier against waves, reducing the need to use concrete barriers. Traditional barriers can adapt less successfully to changing circumstances such as climate change, given their rigidity and the likelihood of their erosion over time. Oysters, on the other hand, could even help to improve water quality and attract larger fish populations – economically beneficial for local fisheries.

This new initiative is unique and perhaps controversial in its merging of biology and engineering, yet is certainly promising in terms of sustainability. Oyster reefs will continue to develop over time and therefore should be effective in the face of future climate change. Harnessing nature may indeed seem impossible and some scientists are sceptical regarding the project. What remains certain is that it could encourage policymakers to think twice before designing and implementing military and civil infrastructure in times of climatic change, using a combination of both green and man-made techniques. Perhaps the answer to mitigating nature’s power lies in using nature itself!

Find other articles on the US