Tide pools to enhance marine life are being installed in the rock revetment at Long Curtain Moat in Portsmouth as part of the Southsea Coastal Scheme.
The 18 concrete pools are designed to create ecosystems that mimic natural rock pools found on rocky coastlines.
The pools retain water to increase the habitat diversity at all states of the tide, and the concrete material has a reduced pH to encourage colonisation by marine species.
It is expected that the marine life and flora and fauna to populate the tide pools will include seaweeds, barnacles, periwinkles and anemones.
Southsea Coastal Scheme environment enhancement lead Lucy Sheffield said the enhancements to the scheme will leave the coast better than when we started and demonstrate that this project is so much more than just a flood defence .
Future of Floods | Engineering ecology into Portsmouth sea defences
Ecological considerations are providing an interesting context for the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence Scheme.
On North Portsea Island in Portsmouth, work to reduce the risk of coastal flooding is well underway – but with a unique twist.
This is not just a coastal defence scheme: for the fourth phase of the five phase project, a sea wall is being installed with a surface texture specially designed to cultivate local marine life. The flood defence will also be enhanced with a bird island and tidal pools.
The entire £58M scheme extends from the Mountbatten Sports Centre on the west side of the island, along Ports Creek to the north and to Milton Common on the east side. It covers 8.4km of coastline.