Oyster reef living shorelines have been found to provide a resilient and adaptive alternative to conventional hard coastal protection, reducing wave energy while supporting oyster colonization.

“Using the wave flume facilities at CORL, we verified the reef’s performance under extreme wave conditions relevant to coastal protection and examined how that performance changed as oysters colonized the structure over time,” Mr. Geldard said.

“Designing these systems requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates ecology, biology and coastal engineering to understand both ecological performance and impacts on waves, currents and sediment transport.”

Researchers used the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Reefense program as a case study to show how interdisciplinary teams could address three core design priorities: shoreline protection, structural durability and cost-effectiveness.