MIAMI — The nation's military has been working on a new weapon: Creating a “perfect,” self-healing coral reef that can withstand disease, warming temperatures and sea rise.
Many U.S. military bases along the coasts are feeling the effects of climate change, and their current methods of defense — like sea walls — aren't working against flooding and erosion. A reef would break up waves before they crash against the base.
So for the past 14 months, the Department of Defense has been working with three international teams of scientists, including from the University of Miami, to build a hybrid reef made of concrete and coral.
If it works, it may be a solution for cities and regions that face the worst effects of climate change, such as Miami. And the military appears to think it's worth banking on.
The project is expected to receive its next second infusion of grant funding, on top of the $7.5 million it's already received. By the end of the project, the team could receive more than $20 million.
It's also a race against time, after higher-than-normal temperatures caused widespread bleaching of thousands of corals in the Florida Keys.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, selected UM to lead the Atlantic coral project. Rutgers University in New Jersey is focusing on oysters on the Gulf Coast; and the University of Hawaii is using coral from the Pacific Ocean.
The UM-led project, called X…
