Modular Coral Reefs Installed Off Caribbean Coasts to Undo Global Warming Damages

To repair the harm caused by global warming, scientists have installed their newly created modular coral reefs off the Caribbean coasts.

Modular Coral Reefs

The research team has implemented a novel technique for restoring coral reefs off the coast of the Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda.

The "coral modules," which are artificial constructions resembling trees with 2,000 living corals attached, were created to aid in the reversal of climate change, which has virtually destroyed all of the coral reefs on the islands.

The new coral modules are intended to lessen the effects of storms and sea level rise on the island nation's coastal communities.

The buffering effect of coral reefs shields coastlines from storms, floods, and waves. Coastlines are much more prone to storm damage or erosion without that reef.

They are also intended to restore the island's marine life, which has suffered as a result of declining coral populations.

With assistance from the Antigua and Barbuda government, Deborah Brosnan, a climate scientist and marine biologist, and John Paul DeJoria, a businessman, developed the modules.

According to Brosnan, the shape of coral reefs is crucial to the biodiversity they attract and the ecosystem services they offer. Therefore, Brosnan created the "coral modules" to resemble the reefs that formerly surrounded Antigua and Barbuda in order to enable the native marine life of the islands to recover and flourish.

The coral reef restoration project, OceanShot, announced last year that it would build and use the structures.

The organization said in a statement that AI cameras were placed on the ocean floor close to the coral modules to track the reefs and to assist researchers in examining the fish diversity, coral growth, and wave patterns of the waters.

Read also: Researchers Using AI to 'Listen' to Coral Reefs and Learn More About Their Health 

Coral Reefs

One of the most important ocean ecosystems is found on coral reefs. Despite making up less than 0.1% of the oceans, they support over 1 billion people through a variety of ecosystem services and are home to 25% of the world's biodiversity.

According to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, between 2010 and 2020, the world's coral reefs lost 14% of their population.

Brosnan said in a statement that this is their moonshot, but they are launching down as opposed to up. With OceanShot, they are attempting to restore the area that is vital to both the present and future survival of humans. There would not be life on Earth without healthy oceans. She added that this is not just a science experiment; it is a comprehensive solution that could help save small island states. Her team is now skilled at designing, constructing, and placing reefs to provide the coast with the greatest benefits while also reviving local fisheries and blue economies, The Hill reports.

Caribbean Reef Fishes

There are a number of Caribbean fishes that depend on coral reefs. According to iNaturalist, this includes butterflyfishes, angelfishes, carangiformes, centrarchiformes, cichliformes, perch-like fishes, and pipefishes.

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