Have you heard of a created living shoreline that is able to combat climate change?

Eileen Mahe is based on the Port of San Diego in California and is a conservationist land manager. Her team and herself manages about 4,850 hectares of tidelands, three-quarters of which is covered by water at high tide around the San Diego Bay. The team is also participating in the San Diego Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline project, which helps to restore wetlands and prevent the erosion of the adjacent natural shorelines. In the San Diego Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline project, Eileen Mahe and her team had put 360 reef balls out on the coastline in September. The implementation of the reef balls were put on the shoreline of a native-oyster reef in the South Bay. 

The element that makes up a reef ball is “baycrete” which is created with local sand to form a concrete mixture and the shells of farmed oysters is also used in this process. This process also attracts wild oysters which makes this new place their habitat. Eileen Mahe has a target of 190 litres of water per day which can be filtered by the Olympia Oysters. Behind the reef balls there is sediment that is predicted to form, which allows for the growth of eelgrass, which then becomes a part of the food chain on the Bay.

 

In the years to come, the native oysters will take the place of the reef balls and cover the reef balls, where an artificial reef shore will be formed. The advantages of the artificial reef shore is that the storm waves will be able to break further away from the shoreline and the salt marsh will be protected. There is also a Wetland habitat refuge inland from South Bay where birds are coming along to the shoreline and are eating the reef balls that are placed on the sand.

Living shorelines according to Climate Hub mentions that natural calamities are destroying the coastlines of our beaches. Many are trying to find ways to preserve and protect the natural integrity of a coastline. The Climate Hub has put forward “Living Shoreline” to be the answer in protecting our coastlines. This method can help maintain the shorelines from destroying its natural form from storm damage and regular flooding. The resources and materials to form the living shoreline according to Climate Hub is “By using wetland plants, natural structures, and shellfish breakwaters, wave energy is absorbed and erosion is reduced.” Further, Climate Hub States, “the goal is to make the coast more resilient so that upland areas are protected while maintaining the ecological function of the shoreline. Money Island and Gandy’s Beach are located along the New Jersey coast of Delaware Bay. This important area for fisherman, oyster farmers, and wildlife is being impacted by climate change. In response, Rutgers University and its partners are working to create a living shoreline here to reduce damage from future storms, provide habitat for wildlife, and improve water quality.”

The article mentions that a living shoreline is important because it helps to combat climate change by sequestering carbon. Sequestering carbon is vital as both oysters and eelgrass store a lot of carbon in them. Eileen Mahe ends by saying, “ The reef balls are win–win–win. I often joke that we’re trying to save the planet one acre (0.4 hectares) at a time.”