On October 10, 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base, situated on the Gulf of Mexico, faced a severe challenge when Hurricane Michael, initially identified as a Category 2 storm, rapidly intensified into a Category 5. The base endured sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, resulting in significant damage, including toppled power poles, overturned F-22s, and destruction of over 200 buildings. Despite the severe weather, Tyndall avoided flood damage, a fortunate outcome given its location on a peninsula, while nearby areas in Florida experienced a storm surge of 9 to 14 feet.
This $5 billion disaster at Tyndall highlighted the increasing frequency of extreme-weather events, prompting the US Department of Defense to explore new strategies to safeguard its 1,700 coastal bases worldwide. Hurricanes Helene and Milton have further demonstrated the escalating climate-related risks faced by coastal communities, including the Pentagon. These threats are characterized by rising sea levels eroding shores and more powerful storms capable of extensive flooding.
In response, Tyndall will soon conduct a trial of an innovative shoreline protection method designed by a Rutgers University-led team. This approach involves a prototype artificial reef composed of three chevron-shaped structures, each weighing approximately 46,000 pounds. According to tests, these structures can reduce wave energy by 70 percent. Unlike traditional seawalls, this design is intended to be colonized by oysters, which are highly effective in dissipating wave energy.
If researchers succeed in optimizing these natural wave dampeners to function alongside artificial structures, they anticipate the barriers could absorb up to 90 percent of wave energy. David Bushek, director of the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory at Rutgers, remains cautiously optimistic about the reef’s performance, acknowledging the limitations of models compared to real-world scenarios.
This initiative is part of a $67.6 million program launched by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) named Reefense. The program aims to evaluate whether “hybrid” reefs, which integrate manmade structures with oysters or corals, can match the effectiveness of traditional seawalls. DARPA selected three research teams, all led by U.S. universities, in 2022. Following two years of development, these prototypes are now being deployed, with the Rutgers team leading the way.
Currently, the Pentagon utilizes similar coastal defense strategies as civilians, focusing on fortifying assets with methods such as retaining walls or arranging heavy objects like rocks or concrete blocks. However, these hardscape structures merely deflect wave energy, potentially increasing the risk to adjacent shorelines. Additionally, as sea levels rise and storms intensify, the effectiveness of these static structures diminishes, necessitating frequent and costly repairs.
