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Jolts of Electricity Reviving Coral Reef
By MARILYN AUGUST, Associated Press Mon Aug 23, 7:44 AM ET PEMUTERAN, North Bali - As the late-afternoon sun bathes the beach with a soft warmth, gentle waves lap quietly at the shore — and strollers occasionally stumble over a thick wad of white cables embedded in the fine, black sand. The cables seem to disappear into the sea, where large blue plastic balls bob in the waves. And they seem to come out of nowhere, sprouting like a nasty growth on the face of this stretch of tropical paradise on Bali's northwestern coast. The wires are part of highly original and ambitious underwater experiment: the use of low-voltage electrical current to stimulate regrowth in a badly damaged coral reef. Conceived by coral expert Tom Goreau of the United States and German architecture professor Wolf Hilbertz, the project began four years ago and has already achieved remarkable results. Covering a total length of nearly 1,000 feet, the Karang Lestari Project — "coral preservation" in Indonesian — is the world's largest coral nursery ever built using this technology. "You can really see the difference in the reef in just a short time," said Chris Brown, owner of Reef Seen Aquatics Dive Center, which co-sponsors the project along with local hotels and shops committed to preserving the reef. The technique is also being used experimentally in other tropical locations, such as Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, but the project in Bali is the largest and most ambitious of its kind. Indonesia is home to 581 of the world's 793 known coral reef-building species, and most thrive in Pemuteran Bay. The area has long been a favorite among scuba divers, who will go elsewhere, affecting tourism, if the reef dies. On the sandy ocean floor 9 to 21 feet down are dozens of grids made from welded construction bars. Seen from above, they look like some underwater playground equipped with jungle gyms, monkey bars, upside-down cone and other climbing apparatus for kids. One looks like the ribcage of a whale. Wires carrying the electrical current are secured to the bars and are plugged into onshore charging stations. Brown estimates the amount of electricity used in a week is equal to burning a single 60-watt bulb for a month. Non-swimmers can follow the reef's renewal thanks to color photographs displayed at Taman Sari Bali Cottages, a sponsor that injected some $15,000 in seed money to get the project started in 2000. Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-23 |
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