Electrifying! Do you think Electricity can help Coral grow?

[ekremer]

Lauderdale-by-the-sea will try electricity to stimulate coral growth off South Florida coast -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com


Apparently this town does.

[Lauderdale-by-the-Sea] plans to install a cluster of electrified artificial reefs off the beach and run a low-voltage current through steel frames to stimulate the growth of corals, creating habitat for fish, crabs and other marine creatures. Shaped like airplane hangars, the six undersea structures each would stretch 6 feet along the ocean floor. Two buoys with solar panels would deliver electricity through insulated cables.

So What do you all think?

 

[lifes an ocean]

That is interesting. But wouldnt any voltage in salt water be a bad thing?

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

This is what happens when there is no minimum qualification to hold public office.

 

[themagni]

According to the article itself, there are no studies and no peer-reviewed articles on the subject.

Peer-reviewed articles are arguably the most important aspect of modern science. If you can't put your findings out in front of other people who know the field, then you're not talking about science. You're talking about pseudo-science. It sells very well with politicians, and you can make a very nice living selling p.s.

It seems like a very peculiar idea.

I would not recommend any course of action where electricity is added to water.

 

[dpbishop]

A 2 minute search of the net reveals that this is not an untested hypothesis. It has been tested successfully in tropical oceans all around the world.

Electric Reefs

ReefHQ Aquarium :: Electro Mineral Accretion Experiment

Trawangan dive school coral regrowth project encouraging « Photo_journ’s Weblog

Here is a Powerpoint presentation on the Global Coral Reef Alliance project using similar technology.

http://www.authorstream.com/Present...ng-managing-gcra-presentation-ppt-powerpoint/

 

[japan-diver]

Ahh beat me to it. There are quite a few experiments that have shown that a little electricity seems to stimulate coral growth. Salt water by the way is a very poor conductor of electricity so not as dangerous as people think and the level we are talking about here is quite low.

 

[Anony]

Agreeing with the previous two posts.
It helps the coral grow faster, stronger and larger.

 

[lifes an ocean]

So what I gather from that first article...Metal, Electricity, and salt water create limestone? Interesting. That is a pretty interesting article.

 

[DennisS]

Some of the big guns down here in south florida coral reef studies are ready to give it a look.

WE NEED MORE DATA!!!!--The sound a scientist makes at the end of a project.

It should be an interesting project.