by Annie Stewart
Harpeth Hall School, Nashville, TN
Honorable mention
Population growth, climate change, and destructive fishing practices are just a few of the major contributing factors towards the decline of the oceans’ health. If a coral reef is flattened or greatly damaged, it can take decades to regrow, but to help speed up the process and give fish a temporary home, artificial reefs have been placed in many parts of the ocean. One very effective and ethical artificial reef is the Modular Artificial Reef Structure, or MARS, created by the Australian Engineer Alex Goad. When creating a product, engineers have to focus on the ethics of it, such as if it harms the environment or if it is accessible to most people, and they also have to focus on the Paramountcy Principles, which state that engineers have to “hold paramount to the safety, health and welfare of the public.” When evaluating an invention, it is important for a citizen to learn the details about it, evaluate the ethics of it, and think about how to make it more ethical.
Unfortunately, regular artificial reefs are very expensive due to the need of barges and other large machinery to place the reef, and they can only be placed on a flat sea floor, making it inaccessible for buying for many communities and organizations. However, there are many ways that MARS works differently than other regular artificial reefs. It can be taken down piece by piece by a diver, and then clamped together like Legos. This way you can assemble it in different ways, making it be able to stay on any terrain. Also, its open shape allows the water flow through it without knocking it over, which means that it does not have to weigh as much. The outer shell has a similar makeup as coral, allowing small animals to hide and plants and other corals to take root. Lastly, it traps eddies which carry nutrients which feed the organisms. If you put this structure on a damaged reef, what could have taken 100 years for coral to regrow could now only takes an estimated 8 to 15 years. MARS is an effective design that is able to support the growth and health of our oceans’ reefs.
Not only does MARS work differently and more effectively than regular artificial reefs, it also aligns well with the engineering paramountcy principles. Since these structures can be taken down one piece at a time by divers, they do not require heavy machinery, drastically reducing the cost. The development cost to date is 11,500 dollars, which is much less than other artificial reefs, making the MARS more available for organizations and coastal communities. It has a ceramic outer shell, and its interior is concrete reinforced with rebar. It is able to last up to sixty years underwater, and after that time the coral will be strong enough to stand on its own. Not only does the environment greatly benefit from MARS, but communities living along the coast will also benefit from it. If a reef along a coast is damaged, less marine animals will be living there, reducing the amount that the community can fish, which would affect their economy. However, if they put this artificial reef structure in, it would attract more fish, helping feed the families and support their economy. Also having a magnificent reef would promote tourism for scuba diving and snorkeling, which would also support the economy.
The Modular Artificial Reef Structure is a great example of an invention with great ethics, and checks all of the requirements off. However, one could still think of other uses for the product since it is very effective in helping damaged reefs. For example, in Chesapeake Bay there used to be thousands of oysters flanking the shores, so many that the water was crystal clear. Sadly, they were over fished and now the population is only 1% of what it used to be, taking away food and habitat for many of the animals. Since MARS helps corals grow, if modified a little bit it could be able to help the population of oysters rise. The oysters are not able to grow on the muddy bottom of the bay, so if they had something to grow off of, such as an artificial reef, they would be able to grow faster, benefiting the marine life and community.
When engineers are designing something, they have to focus on the ethics, and try their best to make it as ethical as possible. They look to create something to solve a problem by designing a more ethical version, such as how the inventor of MARS solved the problem of regular artificial reefs not being very ethical. Engineers are able to change the world, and the Modular Artificial Reef Structure is a great example of how an idea and determination can solve a problem.
References:
Works Cited
Kratochwill, L. (2015, May 6). An Artificial Reef for any Seafloor. Popular Science. Retrieved December 14, 2015, from http://www.popsci.com/artificial-reef-any-seafloor
Lego-inspired modular structures restore damaged coral reefs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2015, from http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/06/alex-goad-mars-modular-artificial-reef-structure-restore-damaged-coral-reefs/
MARS – Modular Artificial Reef Structure - James Dyson Award. (2015). Retrieved December 14, 2015, from http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/projects/mars-modulare-artificial-reef-structure/
Modular Assembly. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2015, from http://www.reefdesignlab.com/modular-assembly/