The Project

The Bailey Habitat System may hold promise for pulling global-warming carbon out of the atmosphere and using it to help corals thrive. The goal of the team of scientists of the Coral Defense Project is to manufacture synthetic coral habitat to help transform dead coral reefs into robust habitat structures for coral reef wildlife and simultaneously capture carbon dioxide, a gas that causes global warming.  

Widely recognized as symbols of planetary health, coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer habitat for a wide variety of species. Without coral reefs, coastal communities near coral reefs would face multiple stresses ranging from disappearance of fish and marine animals that provide food to loss of coastal lands. We all would lose iconic coral reef wildlife and new sources of life-saving drugs.   

Lead UMCES scientist of the Coral Defense Project: Capturing Carbon and Rebuilding Reefs project, Elizabeth North, Ph.D., a biologist, says as many as half of the coral reefs worldwide have been lost already, mainly due to rising water temperatures. The focus of their research, the Bailey Habitat System, offers hope that reefs can be rebuilt without contributing to global warming. Their goal is to discover new technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from the air, use the captured carbon in synthetic coral habitat, and produce a solar-powered mini-manufacturing plant that can be easily shipped to tropical locations where synthetic coral reef habitat is needed most.   

With this ground-breaking research funded by The Bailey Wildlife Foundation, the Bailey Habitat System will be constructed over a five-year period. In Year 1, scientists discovered new technologies to support the System. In Years 2-4 work includes building and testing system components, ensuring that the system captures carbon, and designing the full system. At the end of Year 5, with a working prototype complete, scientists plan to seek large grants to share the technology and mass-produce Bailey Habitat Systems worldwide.   

“We are working on one of the many technologies needed to counteract global warming and defend our coral reefs," Dr. North said. “We are excited about our results to date and look forward to the successful conclusion of this ground-breaking technology project.”