Science is Fun Fridays!
Off the coast of Delaware, decommissioned NYC subway cars have been dropped into the ocean to create Redbird Reef.
There are 714 cars as well as 86 tanks, 8 tugboats and barges, and 3,000 tons of truck tires.
An artificial reef mimics the functions of coral, providing a stable structure for sea mollusks, sponges, barnacles, and mussels - which then attracts and provides for fish up to 400 times more food than the bare ocean floor. It can also provide protection from predators.
The area also attracts scuba divers as well as fishermen, but there are limits on what can be caught/kept. Most common are black sea bass, tautog, and summer flounder.
The reef program is conducted under federal permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers with oversight from the EPA, for toxins removal, and the Coast Guard for elimination of petroleum and floatables. Delaware uses a marine contractor specializing in reef development, and they provide services such as towing, salvage, and marine repair.
The first deployment of reef materials began in 1995, and the program coordinator promises that reef building will continue.
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