✉news EnvironmentOceans first seen 1 h ago, last 33 min ago, peak #20
Two million tyres turned Florida's artificial reef into an ecological disaster
Original: On a site the size of 27 football fields, 2 million of these were dropped in the ocean to create an artificial reef – instead, it became a disaster
In the 1970s, around two million tyres were dumped across a seabed site the size of 27 football fields off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in an attempt to build the world's largest artificial reef. The plan failed: the tyres did not attract coral, shifted in storms and crushed natural reef, prompting decades of costly removal efforts and serving as a warning against similar projects worldwide.
Why now: Renewed attention to failed artificial reef schemes and their environmental costs has put the Osborne Reef story back in the conversation.
Osborne ReefFort LauderdaleFlorida
Rank over time, top of the chart is #1. 2 snapshots from 1 h ago to 33 min ago.
Evidence
- On a site the size of 27 football fields, 2 million of these were dropped in the ocean to create an artificial reef – instead, it became a disaster · BBC Wildlife Magazine
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