REEFENSE: PERFORMANCE OF A MODULAR OYSTER REEF HABITAT FOR COASTAL PROTECTION APPLICATIONS

Hybrid artificial reef structures can be designed to promote the development of a self-sustaining habitat for reef organisms while simultaneously enhancing their effectiveness at coastal protection. Such hybrid structures also offer many additional ecosystem benefits over conventional engineering structures that are used to provide coastal protection (e.g., rubble-mound breakwaters). In this study we investigate the wave attenuation capacity of engineered oyster reef modules that have been designed through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative Reefense: A Mosaic Oyster Habitat for Coastal Defense. The modules are designed with significant porosity (through misaligned holes), shelves to facilitate oyster recruitment, and an interlocking mechanism to maximize reef stability.