Projects

The main goal of the proposed project is to restore the three-dimensional structure across of coral reefs that were severely damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The project will be based in the Island Municipality of Culebra, Puerto Rico. Specifically, we propose to restore the three-dimensional structure across approximately 3 ha in three years (2020-2022), by employing a multi-method restoration approach that combines the ouplanting of artificial coral colonies (ACC) created with emerging 3D printing technology with multispecies outplants compose of morphologically complex branching and massive corals.

This project will assess the effects of seasonal changes in environmental variables across a human-impact gradient on seagrass meadows as a proxy to understand how these adapt to the undergoing global changes. We will also assess the effects of the invasive sea vine, Halophila stipulacea, on the native seagrass biomass and associated fauna.