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Researchers at the Heron Island Research Station in Australia are using a Nortek velocimeter to determine how much hydrodynamic energy it takes to move around “coral rubble,” the skeletons of corals broken apart by bleaching or storm events in the ocean. Fortunately, researchers have found that stabilizing rubble can be an effective technique for coral reef recovery.

Coral bleaching and storm events can create vast areas of coral rubble on the Great Barrier Reef. If rubble remains in one place for a long time, new, healthy corals can effectively recruit onto it and the reef can recover naturally; but if the rubble is moving around a lot due to waves and currents, new corals living on it can die, hindering recovery. Rubble stabilization interventions can be deployed in areas where the rubble is prone to frequent movement, but we don’t yet know where those areas are.