Morningside Park, a beloved neighborhood park in Miami with sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, is set to pilot an innovative approach to coastal resilience.
BIOCAP tiles, a 3D-printed modular system designed to support marine life and reduce wave impact along urban seawalls, will be installed on the existing seawall there in spring 2025.
BIOCAP stands for Biodiversity Improvement by Optimizing Coastal Adaptation and Performance.
Developed by a team of architects and marine biologists at Florida International University, the uniquely textured prototype tiles aim to test a new strategy for helping coastal cities like Miami adapt to rising sea levels while simultaneously restoring ecological balance along their shorelines.
The project is receiving funding from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Seawalls have long served as a primary defense against coastal erosion and storm surges.
Built typically of concrete and ranging from 6 to 10 feet in height, seawalls are constructed along shorelines to block waves from eroding the land and flooding nearby urban areas.
However, this long-standing solution comes with significant ecological costs.
Seawalls disrupt natural shoreline dynamics and can wipe out the complex habitat zones that marine life relies on.
Marine organisms are crucial for maintaining coastal water quality by filtering excess nutrients, pollutants, and suspended particles.
A single adult oyster has the capacity to filter 20 to 50 gallons of water daily, effectively removing nitrogen, phosphorus, and solids that can fuel harmful algal blooms.
These blooms not only deplete oxygen levels but also inflict damage on marine ecosystems.
Additionally, filter-feeding organisms play a vital role in reducing turbidity, which is the cloudiness of water caused by suspended sediment and particles.
Lower water turbidity allows more light to penetrate, benefiting seagrasses that rely on sunlight for photosynthesis.
These seagrasses convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy-rich sugars while providing essential food and habitat for diverse marine species.
Unlike the flat, lifeless surfaces of typical concrete seawalls, each BIOCAP tile features shaded grooves, crevices, and small, water-holding pockets.
These textured features mimic natural shoreline conditions and create microhabitats for barnacles, oysters, sponges, and other marine organisms that filter and improve water quality.
The swirling surface patterns of the tiles increase the overall surface area, providing more space for colonization.
The shaded recesses help to regulate temperature, offering cooler, more stable microenvironments.
This thermal buffering can be particularly beneficial for marine ecosystems in the climate change era, characterized by rising water temperatures and frequent heat events.
The tiles are also designed with wave reduction in mind.
When waves interact with a natural shoreline, their energy is gradually absorbed by irregular surfaces, tide pools, and vegetation.
Conversely, when waves hit vertical concrete seawalls, the energy reflects back into the water, which can intensify wave action, exacerbate erosion at the base of the wall, and create more dangerous conditions during storms.
The textured surfaces of the BIOCAP tiles are engineered to aid in diffusing wave energy, closely mimicking the natural dissipation seen on undisturbed shorelines.
The design of BIOCAP draws inspiration from nature, employing tile shapes based on the interaction of water with various surfaces at both high and low tides.
Concave tiles, which curve inward, and convex tiles, which curve outward, will be installed at different levels along the seawall.
This strategic design aims to deflect waves away from the seawall, reducing direct impacts and minimizing erosion and turbulence around the wall’s foundation.
Following the installation of the BIOCAP tiles, the team will assess how the redesign of the seawall enhances biodiversity, improves water quality, and reduces wave energy.
This two-year pilot phase will be crucial in evaluating the long-term benefits of this ecologically designed infrastructure.
To evaluate biodiversity, underwater cameras will be deployed to capture time-lapse imagery of marine life that colonizes the tile surfaces.
These observations will assist in documenting species diversity and habitat use over time.
For assessing water quality, a specialized prototype tile with sensors will measure key indicators including pH, dissolved oxygen levels, salinity, turbidity, and temperature in real time.
This data will provide insights into how the tiles influence local water conditions.
Finally, to measure wave attenuation and the reduction of wave force, pressure sensors will be mounted on both the BIOCAP tiles and adjacent traditional seawall sections.
This comparison will quantify differences in wave energy across varying tidal conditions and storm events.
As coastal cities confront the dual challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation, the BIOCAP project aims to exemplify a resilient, nature-based solution that benefits both humans and the environment.
Over the coming year, the team will closely monitor the new BIOCAP tiles as they welcome marine life, offering a promising view into how nature might reclaim and thrive along urban shorelines.
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