Coral reefs: Worth Protecting for more than just beauty — Predicting their "natural breakwater" effect

Coral reefs that add color to the seas are attracting attention not only for their beauty but also for their role as natural breakwaters that reduce high waves from the open ocean. They represent one form of "green infrastructure" that harnesses natural functions for societal benefit.

A research group that includes the Nanki Kumano Geopark Center, Wakayama Prefecture, predicted the wave-height reduction effect through to the year 2100 by adding temperate zones to subtropical zones and considering coral growth. The temperate zone they studied was Kushimoto Town in Wakayama Prefecture, which has large coral communities that are not yet developed enough to be called a coral reef. The results showed that continued coral growth in temperate zones and elsewhere would significantly enhance the wave-height reduction effect and lead to reduced coastal disaster risk. According to the researchers, these findings "could lead to reconsideration of concrete infrastructure construction and construction and maintenance cost reduction." The importance of protecting coral reefs has been reaffirmed.

The research group consists of the Center, Wakayama University, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and the University of Tokyo. Their findings were published in the electronic edition of Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies, the journal of the Japanese Coral Reef Society, on December 4 of last year, and were announced by Wakayama University and others on the 9th of the same month.