Artificial Reefs for Beach and Reef Restoration

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Artificial Reefs for Beachand Reef Restoration

• Lee E. Harris, Ph.D., P.E.,
• Assoc. Professor of Ocean Engineering
• Doug Bowlus Ashley Naimaster,
• Ocean Engineering Graduate Students
• Department of Marine Environmental Systems
• Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne,
  Florida

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Purposes for Artificial Reefs

• Provide environmental enhancement
• Mitigate for damages to reefs
• Ship groundings, dredging, burial, pollution
• Restore damaged reefs
• Natural events (storms, tsunamis, etc.)
• Enhance eco-tourism
• fishing, diving, snorkeling, surfing
• Assist with shoreline stabilization

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Reef Ball Units
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Reef Ball Mold System
 
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Anchoring
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Reef Ball Artificial Reef Breakwater
Submerged breakwater with Reef Ball artificial
reef units
REEF UNITS
Reef Ball Units Underwater
Induced Wave Breaking
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Artificial Reef Breakwater
3-Row Reef Ball Breakwater (3 segments) in
Dominican Republic
2001
1998
6 wide 4 tall 2-ton Unit
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Artificial Reef Breakwater
April 2001 After 3 years
After 2 months
Table 1. Changes in Shoreline and Sand Volume
Calculations 1998 to 2001
Accretion
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Grand Cayman 7mile Beach

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October 2002 (left) February 2003(right)
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Profile Line at Center Project
Accretion
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Propagated Coral Transplants on Reef Ball Units