An artificial reef improves coastal protection and provides a base for coral

recovery
Author(s): Rodolfo Silva, Edgar Mendoza, Ismael Mariño-Tapia, María Luisa Martínez, and Edgar
Escalante
Source: Journal of Coastal Research, 75(sp1):467-471.
Published By: Coastal Education and Research Foundation
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2112/SI75-094.1
URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2112/SI75-094.1

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 Journal of Coastal Research SI 75 467-471 Coconut Creek, Florida 2016

An artificial reef improves coastal protection and provides a base

for coral recovery
Rodolfo Silva †, Edgar Mendoza †, Ismael Mariño-Tapia‡, María Luisa Martínez†† and Edgar Escalante*
†
Instituto de Ingeniería ‡
Departamento de Recursos del Mar
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México CINVESTAV
D.F., Mexico Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico www.cerf-jcr.org

††
Red de Ecología Funcional *
Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales
Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia
Xalapa, Mexico Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Puerto Morelos, Mexico

ABSTRACT

Silva, R.; Mendoza, E., Mariño-Tapia, I.; Martínez, M.L., and Escalante, E. 2016. An artificial reef improves coastal
protection and provides a base for coral recovery. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll,
R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal
Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 467-471. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

www.JCRonline.org In 2007, Hurricane Dean caused extensive damage along the coast of Riviera Maya, exceptionally large mass of
wind-transported sand was deposited on the beach front and gardens of the former NH Hotel in Puerto Morelos. Due
to the chaotic sea state and the debris carried by the storm, the sand was contaminated with various pollutants,
including terrigenous materials and biogenic matter. As an emergency measure, this sand was used to create an
artificial dune in the grounds of the hotel. Given the high probability of future storms of such magnitude, it was
decided that some form of sediment transport control was needed to protect the beach so an artificial reef was
constructed 120 m off the shore. The structure, made of prefabricated concrete elements, has been effective as a
coastal defense barrier and has also provided a habitat for several reef species. Five years after the placement of the
structure the beach front, which had previously registered erosion problems, had returned to its natural cycle of
summer growth and winter retreat and a large number of fish and coral species were using the habitat provided by the
structure. However, the coral reef growing on this prefabricated structure was not long-lasting. The massive and
persistent occurrence of Sargassum in 2015 brought oxygen depletion, reduced pH, an excess in nutrients and less
water transparency on the Caribbean coast, leading to the decline of the reef habitat. Further studies are necessary to
test whether reef species recolonize the prefabricated substrate.

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: artificial reef, morphological recovery, reef habitat.

INTRODUCTION the consequences of badly planned infrastructure (legally sound

According to Honey and Krantz (2007) tourism is the largest
business sector of the world economy, accounting for 10% of
global gross domestic product. Tourism has become increasingly
important for developing countries, and represents 70% of
exports from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
particularly in the most megabiodiverse nations (Silva et al.,
2014). Tourism is the only large sector of international trade in
services in which LCDs consistently have a surplus.
It is increasingly accepted that coastal evolution is due to both
natural processes and anthropogenic disturbances. While the
natural processes involved are relatively well understood,
erosion problems on the shore are often exacerbated by weak
legislation and inadequate coastal management programmes. In
many areas of the Caribbean the resistance and resilience of the
coast is being lowered at an alarming rate. This is mainly due to
the effects of sea level rise, the degradation of corals, the
removal of key vegetation (seagrass and dune vegetation) and
____________________
DOI: 10.2112/SI75-094.1 received 15 October 2015; accepted in
revision 15 January 2016.
*Corresponding author: danielemallmann@gmail.com
©
Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc. 2016
but inadequately constructed). The resulting beach erosion also
induces the loss of habitats. Sadly, tourism infrastructure is
usually welcome in these areas, even though it is often the cause
of subsequent erosion problems, as this is the most important
economic activity in the region. The most common means of
tackling beach erosion nowadays is through artificial beach
nourishment, which produces ecological and economic problems
in the areas from which the sand is “borrowed” and is only
feasible while these sand banks have sufficient sand.
Under these circumstances the construction of hard or semi-
hard structures is often rejected on aesthetic grounds in tourist
areas. In addition, the coastal engineer is nowadays obliged to
design environmentally friendly solutions showing preference to
those schemes that enhance the development of habitats.
Therefore, the construction of an artificial, submerged reef
breakwater was decided upon for the beach near Puerto Morelos,
Mexico, to protect it from erosion. The outcome of this project
is detailed in this paper.
 An Artificial Reef Improves Coastal Protection and provides a base for coral recovery
Background
Puerto Morelos is located at the geographical coordinates 20°
51' 13" North, 86° 52' 31" West, in the tourist area of the Riviera
Maya, 30 km south of Cancun (Figure 1). Off the coast, at a
distance ranging from 350–1,600 m, a barrier reef is found, part
of the "Mesoamerican Reef". Puerto Morelos was an
uninhabited area until the late nineteenth century, then it had
very moderate growth until the 1980s. In the last two decades,
Puerto Morelos has experienced rapid growth and from 2008 to
2013 tourist capacity has expanded from 2585 to 5072 hotel
rooms, SEDETUR (2015).
Figure 1. Geographical location of the study area.
In August 2007, waves, storm surge, wind and currents
induced by Hurricane Dean, moved several hundred cubic
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 75, 2016
468
meters of sand into the grounds of the NH Puerto Morelos hotel
(recently renamed Now Jade).
The records of a wave-current profiler AWAC (Figure 2,
LP3) deployed offshore at a depth of 20 m near the hotel,
showed that while Hurricane Dean affected the area, significant
wave heights were over 7 m. Associated mean wave periods
were of 8 s, the most intense waves came from SEE and SE and
the most persistent waves came from the SEE and E (Figure 2).
The most persistent and intense currents travelled to the NNE.
Figure 2. a) Significant wave height, b) mean wave period, c) LP3 wave
rose and, d) LP3 currents at 1 m above the sea bottom. Seaward of reef
(LP3) and in the reef lagoon (LP1) during the occurrence of Hurricane
Dean.
As the direction of most persistent and energetic waves was
SEE, the sand travelled from south to north and the breakwater
at the southern part of the El Cid Marina interrupted the
longitudinal currents, inducing the accumulation of sand in the
grounds of the hotel.
Given that the sand deposited at the hotel was mixed with the
soil from the mangrove (mainly peat), the authorities and hotel
developers were faced with the decision of what to do with it. If
the sand, contaminated with organic matter, was returned to the
 An Artificial Reef Improves Coastal Protection and provides a base for coral recovery
sea, it would probably have a negative impact on the coral reefs.
On the other hand if the sand was placed behind the hotel it
would have affected the mangrove. Therefore an artificial dune
was built to contain the contaminated material as an emergency
solution (Figure 3).
To prevent similar events from occurring in the future, it was
decided to build a structure offshore that would help to mitigate
the problems of temporary beach erosion that are common in
this area, reduce the accumulation of sand on the dry beach
induced by storms, preserve the aesthetics and reinforce the
marine ecosystem.
Figure 3. Appearance of the beach in a) August 2007, after Dean hit the
coast, b) September 2008, illustrating the original winter retreat of the
beach, c) the location of the artificial reef and d) and e) the beach in
September 2011 and December 2014.
METHODS
To select a solution to the problem of sediment management,
the following aspects were considered: (a) Marine climate:
Wave and wind data from 1948 to 2007 were taken from the
Atlas of Wave Climate by Silva et al. (2007). The cell consulted
in the atlas is located at 86.75°W and 20.75° N. Annual and
seasonal statistical data were used to define the mean and
extreme regimes. From the analysis, the root mean square
significant wave height and associated wave period are 1.3 m
and 6.5 s, respectively, with incidences coming from NE to S;
for return periods of 5 and 20 years, the significant wave heights
are 8 and 12 m, respectively; The wind with highest occurrence
probability has an intensity of 5 km/h coming from the NEE and
E quadrants, and for return periods of 5 and 20 years the
intensities are 90 and 136 km/h, respectively. The region is
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 75, 2016
469
subject to a micro-tidal regime of around 0.30 m. The area is
annually affected by an average of 18 storms, of which one is of
great intensity. The average duration of this storm is 38 hours,
although the maximum duration is up to 252 hours; (b) The
nearest coral reefs are at a distance of approximately 1.5 km to
the NNW; (c) The natural dynamics of sediment transport has
been altered and partially conditioned by a series of structures
that have been built along the coast, principally the El Cid
marina, adjacent to the hotel and; (d) The coastal dunes and their
associated vegetation have been altered and the natural
dynamics of the ecosystem are at risk. Conservation is necessary
as this is a turtle nesting area and a protected mangrove site,
among other reasons.
The storm surge, the nearshore wave and current fields and
the potential sediment transport propagation were calculated
using the methodologies and model suggested by Gonzalez-
Leija et al. (2013), Posada et al. (2008), and Silva et al. (2005).
Of the solutions considered (e.g. sand bypass, different hard
solutions), the construction of a submerged artificial reef was
chosen for the site, as natural coral reefs have been shown to
dissipate energy. This is demonstrated by the wave height
records registered during the presence of Hurricane Dean at
Puerto Morelos (Figure 3, LP3 at 20 m and LP1 at 5 m water
depth). A revision of the state of the art was made and different
technologies were evaluated for the creation of an artificial reef.
From the available options it was decided to use a relatively new
element known as Wave Attenuation Device (WAD©), which is
made of reinforced concrete (marine grade, 5000 psi, of neutral
pH). Despite the WADs© having been accepted by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) technical information
about the design of a reef was unavailable, so small scale
laboratory tests were performed. These tests took place at the
Coastal Engineering laboratory of the UNAM and the results
were published in Burcharth et al. (2014). As a result of the
laboratory studies of the hydrodynamic efficiency of the
artificial reef, in a scale model 1:33.3 the reflection coefficients
ranged from 20 to 35%, the transmission coefficients 50 - 75%
and the dissipation factor was about 40%.
In 2010 a structure 60 m long, placed at a depth of 2.5 m and
a submergence of 0.5 m below the Mean Low Water level, was
constructed (see lower panel of Figure 1 and Figure 3c).
RESULTS
The beach response has been monitored regularly since
Hurricane Dean. (Figure 3). From 2007-2010 the beach was still
narrow and composed of sand and gravel (Figure 3b). Since the
placement of the artificial reef, in 2010, the beach system has
become stable again (Figures 3c-e), showing a normal pattern of
accretion and erosion (during the months of May to October, the
beach tends to grow, while in the remaining months the width of
the dry beach decreases), but always with sufficient sand for
tourist activities and for aesthetic considerations.
In the December 2014 beach monitoring survey different
species of fish, polyps and soft and hard corals were observed on
the artificial reef, such as sea fan (Gorgonia flabellum), White
encrusting zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum) and brain coral
(Diploria labyrinthiformis), (see Figure 4). At the time of
writing this paper, it was believed that the artificial reef had
provided the base for coral colonization.
 An Artificial Reef Improves Coastal Protection and provides a base for coral recovery

a) b) c)

d) e) f)

g) h) i)

Figure 4. (a) sea fan (Gorgonia flabellum), (b) and (c) White encrusting zoanthid (Palythoa caribaeorum), (d) brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis),
(e) polyps and, (f), (g), (h) and (i) the complex habitat established on the artificial reef.

DISCUSSION
In 2015, an unusually persistent and massive biomass of
floating Sargassum invaded the Mexican Caribbean Sea and
other areas of the region (e.g. Gavio et al., 2015). This
“overabundance” of Sargassum caused a significant decrease in
the pH of the sea water close to the beach, the water became
hypoxic, there was a substantial increase in nutrients and the
transparency of the water was reduced (Hillard, 2015). The
presence of the seaweed (which lasted for 8 months) probably
inhibited the growth of the coral reef species recently
established in the artificial reef ecosystem and caused severe
degradation to the habitat. The new colonies of coral were
destroyed. Figure 5 shows some parts of the system in October
2015, where it can be observed that very few species survived.
CONCLUSIONS
A submerged artificial reef structure was designed to mitigate
the beach erosion caused by interrupted longitudinal sediment
transport. The design of the reef took into account the climatic
and environmental conditions of the area as well as aesthetics,
since the beauty of the beach is what attracts tourists. The reef
was constructed by means of a set of wave dissipation devices
(WADs ©) made of concrete. The submerged structure has been
effective in beach protection and also provided a habitat for
different animal and vegetation species, including corals, which
established colonies in the artificial structure (Figure 4).
Although growth of the reef ecosystem was impressive from
its construction until December 2014, with the arrival of
seaweed the local conditions of nutrients, transparency and
water pH changed. This caused a noticeable decline in species
abundance and diversity. However, the conditions on the
artificial reefs have now returned to those prior to the excess of
Sargassum, suggesting that the ecosystem is probably capable of
recovery in the coming years.
The main lesson learned in this study is that it is indeed
possible to have effective coastal protection schemes that can
provide the physical means for a living ecosystem to develop.
Nevertheless, given the large number of variables that cannot be
controlled, the resilience of these systems is uncertain when
there are radical alterations to the environmental conditions.

Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 75, 2016

470
 An Artificial Reef Improves Coastal Protection and provides a base for coral recovery
Figure 5. Aspect of the artificial reef colonies after the overabundance of Sargassum from February to October 2015. Photos taken in October 2015.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This publication is one of the results of the Latin American
Regional Network global collaborative project ‘‘EXCEED –
SWINDON project - Excellence Center for Development
Cooperation – Sustainable Water Management in Developing
Countries’’. We are very grateful to Francisco Gerardo Ruíz
Renteria (ICMCyL-UNAM) for his invaluable support in the
fieldwork as well as "Promociones Marina Morelos, S. de R.L.
de C.V. (Now Jade Riviera Cancún Resort & Spa)" for
permission to use material compiled and funded by them.
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