Just like the rest of the environment around us the world’s coral reefs are in trouble, because of climate change and habitat destruction.
The researchers found a solution- to use electrified artificial reefs instead, called Biorocks.
Biorock start off as a Rebar skeleton structure or electrically-conductive wire mesh, called a Coral Ark, which it’s partially sunken or anchored into the seafloor with a solar panel floating on the surface above it, which provides a steady electrical current.
The electricity collected by the solar panels results in accretion coating the Ark with a natural concrete material very similar to that of clam shells.
With this, the structures can grow indefinitely—at a rate of 5cm annually—as precipitated materials add to the structure’s rigidity and will even repair themselves if damaged.
When these structures will solidify on the seafloor and will start more closely resemble natural reefs, they will begin to provide the same benefits of natural reefs which means a greater resistance to the incoming wave actions reduces the energy with which each wave hits the beach, allowing more suspended sand particles to be dropped on the beach.