Current Research

Artificial Reefs

My work with artificial reefs began as a collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for my Undergraduate Senior Thesis at Duke University as a Rachel Carson Scholar. Since graduating, I have continued my collaboration with Dr. Avery Paxton at the NOAA office in Beaufort, NC. Artificial reefs are defined as structures intentionally sunk by state-managed artificial reef programs. The artificial reefs come in all shapes and sizes - concrete pipes, NYC subway cars, planes, ships, chicken coops, and specially designed structures for artificial reefs just to name a few.

Quantifying spatial extents of artificial versus natural reefs in the seascape

Natural reefs are supplemented by artificial reefs as human use of the ocean increases. The distribution and coverage of both natural and artificial reefs are not well understood, but critical information for ocean planning and management decisions. This study presents a case study quantifying the coverage of artificial and natural reefs in the southeastern US. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Artificial Reef Coverage in the US Coastal Ocean

Artificial reefs are continuing to expand globally. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify artificial reef coverage across the entire United States.

Fitting ecological principles of artificial reefs into the ocean planning puzzle

This paper highlights the importance of incorporating ecological principles into artificial reef planning. A framework and evaluation is presented accounting for the complexities of ecological, societal, and economic components associated with artificial reefs to maximize their efficiency. Published in Ecosphere.