Sea Ventures Marine Response Unit
Implementation of Coral
Restoration for Coastal Protection
Wave attenuation
One of the main socioecological benefits of coral reefs is the protection of coastal communities due to their capacity to absorb up to 90% wave energy. This is sustained by keystone species such as the elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) which can grow fast (~10 cm linear extension annually) under high wave energy conditions creating highly tridimensional structures.
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In this project, Sea Ventures MRU embarked on a quest to outplant A. palmata colonies over an area of 4,000 m² achieving a density of 1 colony / m². These outplants are mapped and monitored using the latest structure from motion (SfM) technology to assess outplant survivorship and growth over thousands of meters squared.
The biological restoration is co-located with permanent wave and current sensors in collaboration with engineer Dr. Miguel Canals from the UPR-Mayagüez to assess changes in wave attenuation over the restoration area. By integrating SfM biological monitoring and wave data validation we support the quantification of wave-attenuation benefits of coral reef restoration as a hazard mitigation strategy.
Close view of 18-month A. palmata outplants.
Sea Ventures MRU divers during maintenance visits to the outplanting plot. 18-month-old outplants can be seen in the seabed.
Mosaic imagery (aerial and underwater) of the north side of Palomino showing the location of A. palmata outplanting (green polygon), wave modeling (blue polygon), and deployed wave sensor locations (yellow markers).
Photogrammetry in the Wave attenuation site
Photogrammetry products from the Wave Attenuation site. A) Top view of the final orthomosaic. B) Orthomosaic with annotated A. palmata outplants (black outlines). C) Digital Elevation Model. D) Oblique view of the 3D model.
Georeferenced orthomosaic map with annotated A. palmata outplants. Zoomed-in portions are presented to observe the final mosaic resolution using the GoPro Hero 11 Black camera system. Several annotated outplants (black outlines).