IMPROVING CORAL LARVAL RECRUITMENT USING ENGINEERING, BIOPHYSICS, AND GENERATIVE AI

 

Summary

 Coral reefs are areas with high biodiversity and richness of species in oceans worldwide, and they contribute to a healthy marine ecosystem. Coral reefs also provide protection as barriers, breaking high-energy waves and reducing coastal erosion, making them important to biologists, conservationists, and engineers. Unfortunately, coral reefs are degrading due to climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and rapid coastal development. Thankfully, several global reef restoration efforts are underway to address the rapid decline in their health. Artificial reefs built from manmade materials are gaining popularity for reef restoration. The long-term success of an artificial reef depends on its ability to recruit coral larvae, i.e., provide the best conditions for coral larvae to settle on them and grow. This team will address the open question: How do coral larvae interact with their local physical environment over substrates, and how does this physical interaction determine their settlement preference and location?

Team

Prannoy Suraneni (Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering), Vivek Prakash (Physics), Erotokritos Skordilis (Business Technology), Jenna Efrein (Glass Art)