A special new concrete structure has been installed by the US Air Force to protect the shores of Tyndall Air Force Base in Northwest Florida.
The new structures are the creation of Rutgers University and are made from concrete and living oysters. The structure is specifically designed to attract oysters which, with time, will allow them to form a strong living reef.
The installation is part of the Reefense program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The program aims to increase the effectiveness of coastal defenses by creating hybrid structures.
According to David Bushek, the director of the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and a professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS):
“This experiment will document the Reefense modules’ ability to help protect and enhance the bay shoreline and make it more robust and resilient. We wanted to develop an ecologically functional, engineered structure providing the strength and longevity of hard structures while facilitating the benefits provided by organisms colonizing the modules. In doing so, we have made a lot of discoveries and advances in science and technology in the past few years. We’ve pushed the needle a lot.”
