Rebuild Coral Reefs With Nanoscience

Reef Life Foundation's Science Division, IntelliReefs Holds the Key to Settlement of Wild Corals

(No Human Planting, Mother Nature all by Herself!)

Coral reefs are highly complex, living structures comprised of many colonies of corals. These colonies are made up of many tiny individual animals that grow together, called coral polyps. Over hundreds of years, these colonies deposit massive reefs underwater, which humans rely on for food, storm protection, and tourism.

Although they are often called the "rainforests of the sea", coral reefs are made predominantly from animals instead of plants. Coral reefs are highly complex, living structures comprised of many colonies of corals. These colonies are made up of many tiny individual animals that grow together, called coral polyps. Over hundreds of years, these colonies deposit massive reefs underwater, which humans rely on for food, storm protection, and tourism.

After only 14 months of deployment, scientists found healthy, wild coral spawn settled and growing on IntelliReefs deployed near natural reefs in the Caribbean. Oceanite has a complex matrix of pores that increase the surface area for animals to settle and allow for small animals like new coral recruits to survive predators in the early stages of life. Each Oceanite mix design can be fine-tuned to target species-, function-, or site-specific conservation goals. It is composed of proprietary marine mineral matrices that include high-grade limestone, aragonite, and diverse pozzolanic (calcium-binding) components at the nano-scale to attract and support marine life.

Restoration efforts that maximize the efficiency and speed of these small scale processes have great conservation potential. IntelliReefs not only curates a healthy coral community quickly and sustainably, but can also be cast into custom, large-scale habitats. These local changes can create a global impact if we act quickly and use the best restoration technology at our disposal. It has been shown that when local environmental stressors are reduced, reef ecosystems are able to bounce back from global pressures more easily (Smith et al. 2016). By using nanotechnology to enhance and streamline these local processes further, we are simply giving nature back the tools to heal herself.

Links:

• https://www.reeflifefoundation.org/post/biomimicry-nanotechnology-restoring-coral-reefs
• Fish Feed Coastal Communities AND Ocean Communities!
• Miles and Miles of Coral Reefs Created by Reef Life Foundation

IntelliReefs is our scientific partner, building a core team of experts has developed and tested an  unprecedented nanotechnology substrate that can be cast in any design and scaled up larger than any competing restoration substrate on the market. Dr Konstantin Sobolev, who has been the lead  of the scientific Nano Materials was also the lead in our original companies since 2002: Konstantin  Sobolev Ph.D. is a co-founder and nanomaterial scientist for Reef Life Foundation, and is the Chair  of Nanotechnology committee for the American Concrete Institute (ACI). He is also a Fellow of  the American Concrete Institute (FACI) and a Member of the Mexican Academy of Science.  Sobolev is globally renowned for innovations in nanomaterials, waste inclusion,  superhydrophobicity, and thermal and particle activation within novel cementitious matrices for  highly diverse applications.

Dr. Sobolev & Melody Brenna Recent Presentation ICRI International Coral Reef Initiative  

The Reef Life Foundation/ IntelliReefs team has three key branches that work together in concert  to meet diverse marine restoration and development needs: Science, Design & Manufacturing,  and Business. The Science Team consists of advanced nanomaterial scientists, marine biologists  and coral restoration specialists, delivering custom mineral mixes and structures to meet project goals. Our Design & Manufacturing Team has experts in underwater infrastructure and artificial  reef design, casting and manufacturing, materials testing, and deployment. Our Business Team is  happy to provide up-to-date information on bids and project timelines, financial details, and  strategies to enhance project ROI. All of these elements together ensure that IntelliReefs projects  and product lines are innovative and tailored to UN DECADE needs, from design to deployment. 

Design Portfolio Our Designs | IntelliReefs Ranges from Small Lab Scale Units to Resort and Industrial Scale (300 Miles of Reef) for Windfarm and Coastal Protection layouts. Twenty years of research and development has yielded Oceanite—a proprietary, unique mineral mixture that allows artificial reefs to be fine-tuned and customized down to the nanoscale to support site, species, and function-specific conservation goals. The complex system of pores creates more surface area per square inch, optimizing animal settlement. In fourteen months, IntelliReefs saw nearly 100% coverage and a 400% increase in biodiversity. Video footage showed fish feeding every fifteen seconds on the reef.

Additionally, IntelliReefs goes beyond environmental restoration by implementing a multifaceted approach, including: youth educational outreach, finding local contributors and partnerships, and hiring and training local staff in both manufacturing and reef monitoring positions. IntelliReefs restores the environment and lifts the local community, increasing support for MPAs.

Links:

• Konstantin Sobolev - Google Scholar
• Intelliquatics Aquarium Habitats
• Reef Life Foundation YouTube