Scientists report that a living reef coastal defense system can reduce wave power significantly, suggesting the approach could offer a new way to protect shorelines from storms and rising seas.
Their findings , published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by an international team that included nine Rutgers University researchers, provide one of the most detailed tests to date of whether a hybrid reef system combining living organisms with artificial structures can function as coastal protection infrastructure.
“We set out to build a kind of living reef, something that combines natural and engineered materials and can repair itself over time, to help protect coastlines from flooding, erosion and storm damage that are putting both communities and critical infrastructure at risk,” said David Bushek , a professor with the Department of Marine and Coastal Studies at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Studies and a lead author of the study. “So far, the results are encouraging. What we built is working.”
The study focused on a modular reef system placed offshore of a military site along the Florida Panhandle. The reef was designed to evolve naturally with marshes, seagrass and other aspects of coastal habitats to form what the researchers call a “Living Shoreline Mosaic TM .” Built from porous concrete modules to reduce wave power, the hybrid structure combines engineering and natural processes and since has been colonized by oysters and other marine life, forming a natural reef that builds on and strengthens the original framework.
Researchers found the hybrid reef system reduced wave power by more than 90% in tests, while supporting reef growth and working together with surrounding coastal habitats to stabilize the shoreline.
Researchers based their conclusions on field measurements at the site, along with modeling and ongoing monitoring of wave energy, sediment movement and early reef development following installation.
The project was developed through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Reefense program and installed between October 2024 and March 2025 at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. The base was heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018, prompting U.S. Department of Defense officials to investigate new ways to protect vulnerable coastlines.
Researchers from Rutgers and partner institutions were brought in through the Reefense program to design the hybrid reef system and investigate whether it could function as coastal infrastructure and provide a longer-lasting alternative to traditional engineered structures.
In coastal engineering, reducing wave energy is the primary way to limit shoreline erosion and storm damage, Bushek said. The reef functions like a breakwater, an offshore structure that absorbs wave energy before it reaches land and became more effective over time as the reef grew.
If the system continues to perform as expected, researchers said it could represent a shift in how shorelines are protected, shifting the emphasis from structures that fight nature to systems designed to work with it.
“The Reefense Modules TM and Living Shoreline Mosaic TM strategy advance the field of nature-based solutions for shoreline protection and can be applied anywhere oysters form reefs,” Bushek said. “In the face of increasing storms and rising seas, it is critical to develop strategies that protect our coasts.”
Rutgers researchers on the study also included co-lead investigators Ximing Guo, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences; Hani Nassif, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering; and Richard Riman, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Other Rutgers researchers on the study included: Reid Holland, a doctoral student; and Michael Ruszala, a master’s degree student, with the Rutgers School of Engineering; and Zhenwei Wang, postdoctoral associate, Jenny Shin, field researcher, and the late Danielle Kreeger, research scientist, all with the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Collaborating institutions on the project included: University of Western Australia; University of Melbourne; Reef Design Lab, Mentone, Australia; Louisiana State University; Mississippi State University; University of Central Florida; University of Arizona, WSP Climate, Resiliency and Sustainability, Tallahassee, Florida; Auburn University; University of South Alabama; and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Observational study
Animals
Reefense: Living shoreline mosaics can achieve ecological and engineering outcomes with interdisciplinary design
3-Apr-2026
The authors declare no competing interest.