Researchers at MIT are designing an artificial reef that can dissipate much of the energy in ocean waves before they reach the shore.
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about reefs. If we give them any thought at all, it is because we are boat owners who worry about finding one accidentally and damaging the hull. But a reef serves a number of very important functions. For one, it provides shelter to young marine life from predators. For another, it helps absorb the power of ocean waves so they don’t destroy coastlines.
“This would be like a long wave breaker,” says Michael Triantafyllou, a professor in Ocean Science and Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “If waves are 6 meters high coming toward this reef structure, they would be ultimately less than a meter high on the other side. So, this kills the impact of the waves, which could prevent erosion and flooding.”. In the introduction, the authors write, “Recent studies show that wave storms have intensified as a result of climate warming.
The tests conducted by the two teams showed that the cylindrical arrangement of the structure generated a high amount of drag, making it especially efficient at dissipating high force flows of oil and gas. That led them to consider whether the same arrangement could dissipate the energy in ocean waves.
The team has also looked into making the structures more porous and friendly to fish. They found that, rather than making each structure from a solid slab of plastic, they could use a more affordable and sustainable type of cement. “We’ve worked with biologists to test the cement we intend to use and it’s benign to fish and ready to go,” he added.
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