ARTIFICIAL REEFS AND CORAL RESTORATION

Hello readers!  Today's post will be a short video depicting both the economic and environmental impacts that artificial reefs have had. Hope you enjoy!

Good day everyone! We have seen from my previous post what can be used as positive materials for the construction of artificial reefs. Now, we will investigate some negative and unhealthy materials that should not be used in these reefs. They include: cinder blocks bamboo  wood tires galvanize PVC plastics In the beginning, these items look appealing, both physically and financially, however, over time it proves to be very detrimental to marine health. Since the main goal of artificial reefs is to create solid, stable structures, cinder blocks are used. However, they are designed to be lightweight and easily breaks in half. This therefore defeats the purpose of an artificial reef. Some cinder blocks are also placed in 'mats' on the reef, but after small storms or even monsoon season, they can be found scattered and partially buried with almost no more surviving coral fragments. (P.C: New Heaven Reef Conservation Program) Bamboo and wood are even more ea...

Welcome back everyone! From my previous posts we looked at the various pros and cons of artificial reefs. Today's post will provide an insight to positive materials used to construct these artificial homes, mainly the use of ceramics. Even though any material placed in a marine environment poses a risk of causing pollution over time, some materials are still good options when installed correctly with proper precautionary measures. Some good materials used are: old shipwrecks rocks cement old airplanes old army tanks ceramics  fibre glass metal marine alloys These items have proved thus far to be successful artificial reefs. (P.C: LaughingSquid.com) The use of hexagonal ceramics in shallow seas is proving to be one of the most successful yet since it is non-toxic to the marine environment since it is mainly composed of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and silicon dioxide (SiO2). the ceramic surfaces have a varied texture and micro porous structures similar to rea...

Good day everyone! Today's post will address the major concerns and disadvantages pertaining to the use of artificial reefs as a mitigation method. To begin, two of the most major concerns or artificial reefs include: (1). Release of toxic chemicals-  Some materials used to build reefs can release toxic chemicals into the water which may kill or chase away most marine life from that area and even in some surrounding vicinity. It can also lead to bio-accumulation and bio-magnification, which negatively affects both humans and animals. The most well-known occurrence of toxic release is the Osborn Reef in Florida, where in the early 1970's, about 2 million old tires were dumped into the ocean and up to 30 years later, almost no fish were found living within the area. The tires had leached toxic chemicals into the water. (2). Degradation of the reef- Degradation (the natural breaking down) of the reef causes toxic chemicals to be released, but it also weakens the struc...

Special welcome to my blog! Today's post will be addressing what makes the installation of artificial reefs a good mitigation method for the environment and how it helps the economy of a country. To begin, artificial reefs are used as a method of coral restoration. Restoration is simply the act of restoring a place or structure to its former state. Coral restoration is therefore the act of restoring coral reefs to their former glory. This is mainly done by the use of coral transplantation and artificial reefs. The following image shows coral transplantation.                                                              (P.C: Marine Savers) Coral restoration efforts are being done around the world to mitigate the negative effects of human activities on the reefs. Mitigation, simply put, refers to the action of reducing the seve...

Hello everyone! Special welcome to my blog and I hope that it proves to be very useful and entertaining to you.  As an overview, my blog will be encompassing various aspects of artificial reefs and coral restoration. I will discuss the major pros and cons of artificial reefs to the environment over the course of my postings, so stay tuned. As an environmental lover, I am pursuing a degree in Environmental Science and it is my dream to see the environment blossom in all its glory. However, recently I became aware that reefs around the world has been suffering and even dying, mainly from the effects of bleaching. As a restoration project, artificial reefs have been constructed around the world. (P.C: Extremesportsx.com) Artificial reefs are not natural, they are man-made. They can be made from shipwrecks, cinder blocks, rocks, cement and much more. They are usually constructed in areas where there is a general featureless ocean bottom to promote marine life. Their construct...