Washington, Sept 26 : Israeli and Jordanian scientists have constructed a string of artificial coral reefs in the Red Sea with the aim of weaning away divers and snorkelers from natural reefs, allowing them time to heal.

A high diversity of corals thrive in the Gulf of Aqaba, which lies at the northern end of the Red Sea and is bordered by Israel and Jordan, and Egypt and Saudia Arabia farther south.

These reefs draw tourists from around the world to the neigh boring resort cities of Elat, Israel, and Al 'Aqabah, Jordan.

However, while the tourism dollars bring prosperity to the region's economy, the onslaught of snorkelers and divers take a toll on the reefs.

Many of the reefs are literally dying, experts say.

“There is increasing construction, industrial development, and tourism around the gulf. Elat and Al 'Aqabah are fast-growing cities and pressure on the reefs is growing,” said Fuad Al Horani of the Marine Science Station (MSS) in Al 'Aqabah.

MSS and a team from the Elat campus of Ben-Gurion University (BGU), Israel, are now spearheading an artificial reef construction.

A 1994 peace deal between Israel and Jordan mandated that the two countries work together on combating marine pollution, natural resources issues, and coastal reef protection in the gulf.

Researchers are now gathering critical data on these complex ecosystems, including coral survival rates and patterns as well as the effects of human behaviour on reefs.

Using cranes and large parachutes, the team has so far, already sunk huge concrete structures, each weighing 4.2 tons, into water 19 to 22 feet deep. Before installation, corals were nursed in special tubes designed to fit in nooks and crannies drilled into the artificial reef.

So far, the researchers, aided by university students and Israeli schoolchildren, have glued about 250 of the coral-filled tubes across the surfaces of the irregularly shaped modular building blocks.

Inner areas of the new human-made reef are barred to prevent the entry of divers and encourage new coral growth and colonization by fish and other marine life.

“Usually when something bad happens to a protected marine area, you can only say, Okay, we lost a part of it,” said Nadav Shashar, BGU's marine biologist and project supervisor.

“But here we are actually able to reclaim an area. This used to be a coral reef and it died. But now we can go back and build a new one,” he said.

The scheme seems to have been a success as only two months after initial construction, more than 20 species of fish – along with invertebrates including corals, fan worms, and tunicates – have settled naturally on the reef.

Shashar anticipates the artificial structure will need between five and ten years to evolve into a viable reef ecosystem.

But fish populations will likely fully colonize the project within a year, he said.

According to a National Geographic report, upon completion, the project will include three reefs in Jordanian waters and two in Israel. But rather than replacing natural ecosystems, they will only provide alternate dive areas and help in the reclamation of specific reefs. (With inputs from ANI)