[Animals] Could billions of oysters protect us from the next big storm?

[FNX Magokiler]

This year has been a year of weather records. The summer of 2023 has been the hottest on record, followed by a September that has been the warmest ever recorded by a wide margin. In New York, it was also the wettest September in more than a century. Last month, torrential downpours from Tropical Storm Ophelia caused flash flooding in New York, with nearly eight inches of rain in some areas, wreaking havoc across the city. A sea lion at the Central Park Zoo was even able to swim out of its pool.

The summer storm was not the first time the city faced the danger of rising sea levels and weather-intensified storms. Twelve years ago, Superstorm Sandy flooded Staten Island. But after the destruction a visionary idea emerged: using nature as a barrier against storms.

In the depths of ports and coastal waterways, an unusual ally has been hiding all this time: oysters. These keystone species have many superpowers, such as protecting coastlines from storm surges and high tides and reducing the impact of erosion caused by heavy rain.

Oyster restoration as a climate change adaptation measure is being implemented around the world, from China to Australia.

 

 

In the United States, New York and Louisiana are two places where oysters have been deeply woven into the culture and economy for centuries, but now these communities are turning to these vital creatures to help protect their vulnerable shorelines.

New York and its idea of a billion oysters
New York City was once the oyster capital of the world; Bivalves were so abundant in the 19th century that they were sold from street carts, much like hot dogs and halal food are sold today. After a century of overexploitation and pollution, the city's oyster reefs (which once numbered 220,000) almost completely disappeared from New York Harbor, one of the largest natural harbors in the world.

Now, the city's Billion Oyster Project is reintroducing 100 million oysters a year to the port, and with the help of students, volunteers and local communities, the nonprofit plans to restore one billion oysters by 2035.

An adult oyster can filter up to 189 liters of water per day; billion can filter the entire port in three days. Oysters also sequester carbon in a cost-effective and energy-efficient way, helping to combat climate change that contributes to these destructive floods.

The city's bivalves are also being used in another coastal resilience project, Living Breakwaters, to shore up Staten Island's disappearing shoreline. In collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project, the project is building partially submerged breakwaters about 800 meters long, strategically covered in recycled oyster reefs that will mitigate flooding and erosion while providing new habitat for hundreds of marine species.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.es/medio-ambiente/2023/10/podrian-miles-de-millones-de-ostras-protegernos-de-la-proxima-gran-tormenta