{"id":202975,"date":"2024-09-02T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T18:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=202975"},"modified":"2024-09-05T09:48:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T19:48:09","slug":"r3d-deployment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/09\/02\/r3d-deployment\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> developed, living coastal-protection system prepares for deployment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Breeding resilient corals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (UH<\/abbr>) has reached a milestone in the U.S. Department of Defense funded project that aims to create a living breakwater system to protect coastlines from erosion and create ecosystems where resilient corals and other ocean life can grow and thrive.<\/p>\n

The project, spearheaded by the Applied Research Laboratory<\/a> at UH<\/abbr> (ARL<\/abbr> at UH<\/abbr>) in partnership with UH<\/abbr> Mānoa\u2019s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (SOEST<\/abbr>), has completed the first concrete reef structure, and full production is now underway for 60 units. Pending permit approval, the project is on track for its first deployment of a 50-meter array of structures near the Ulupaʻu<\/span> crater, off the Kailua Bay side of Marine Corps Base Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in late 2024, early 2025.<\/p>\n

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Concrete reef prototypes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rapid Resilient Reefs for Coastal Defense (R3D<\/abbr>) is a $27 million, five-year project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency<\/a> (DARPA<\/abbr>) and is in partnership with University of California San Diego\/Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Florida Atlantic University, Ohio State University and industry partner Makai Ocean Engineering located in Â鶹´«Ã½.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This project aims to redesign how we do coastal protection,” said Ben Jones, R3D<\/abbr> principal investigator and ARL<\/abbr> at UH<\/abbr> Director of Ocean Science and Technology. “We’re looking at how to engineer a living breakwater system to protect coastlines and that will incorporate living coral. So we\u2019ve engineered a coral reef that is inspired by natural fringing reefs.”<\/p>\n

Concrete reef prototypes<\/h2>\n
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Concrete reef prototypes with coral settlement module.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two concrete reef prototypes, cast at Campbell Industrial Park, feature large holes to dissipate wave energy and are specifically designed to promote coral growth:<\/p>\n