Special to the PRESS
Friends of RGV Reef is trying something never done before, that could change the fight against climate change, and it is happening right off South Padre Island.
Friends of RGV Reef (RGV Reef), a Texas non-profit, is pleased to announce the official launch of a new study to determine the carbon capture potential, also known as carbon sequestration, of a 1,650-acre artificial reef, the largest and most complex artificial reef off the Texas coast.
This is groundbreaking research since no one has ever studied how reefs, natural or man-made, can capture carbon, according to the announcement. Depending on the findings, the implications of the research could be a critical tool in curbing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
“The research is a first of its kind, anywhere,” said Friends of RGV Reef President Gary Glick. “It is the first and most comprehensive study in the world to determine whether artificial reefs can capture or trap carbon, and may be a solution in dealing with our real-life climate challenges.”
“We are very grateful the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), which is leading this important research that could benefit all Texans, the U.S. and all countries that have coastlines,” Glick said.
According to Friends of RGV Reef, it is believed reefs, both natural and man-made, capture and store carbon, thereby assisting in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2). However, until now, no one has undertaken studies to either prove or dismiss the theory.
“The research that’s underway is both multifaceted and comprehensive,” said Richard Kline, Ph.D., Professor, School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at UTRGV. “Our team is seeking to quantify how much carbon is being captured by RGV Reef. We are surveying these areas: the biomass in the water column, which includes everything from the millions of fish who now live on the reef, to the mass of living microorganisms in the water and those that attach themselves to the reef like sea urchins and barnacles. We’ll also look at the carbon capture capabilities of the bottomland and the sediment, in and around the reef.”
“It’s suspected that artificial reefs can hold a substantial amount of carbon biomass, but like detectives, we’ll analyze the data to find out if that’s really the case,” said Kline.
Kline is a scientist at UTRGV who has been conducting research on artificial reefs for more than 20 years. His team is leading the research in partnership with RGV Reef.
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