Scientists in Australia Built Artificial Coral Reefs Using 3D Printers — And Now Marine Life Is Returning

Coral reefs are a naturally occurring habitat for a huge number of marine animals. They are formed underwater by tiny creatures known as coral polyps, who secretes an exoskeleton that hardens over time, becoming the coral reefs that we know. However, each of these polyps grows slowly, as they serve as the main foundation of what would be a complex structure that will house an entire ecosystem.

This is why when humans do harmful and destructive fishing practices, such as using dynamites and cyanides, which end up destroying the coral reefs, reviving them becomes a challenge. But, Australian scientists have now begun experimenting with using 3d printed coral reefs to see if the marine animals will recognize it as their new home.

A New Hope for Dying Reefs

Australia’s Reef Design Lab (RDL) is using ceramic components printed with 3D printers to help recreate a very intricate structure of the marine ecosystems. This is a technique known as Modular Artificial Reef Structure (MARS), which simply aims to mimic the natural coral reefs and all their complexities.

These 3d printed structures must be able to house coral larvae and small fish. It sounds easy to do, but those natural coral reefs are a unique byproduct of a living, breathing organism, so recreating them with technology is actually harder than it seems. The good news is that the marine animals responded positively and almost immediately.

Read more: Conscious Explorer

Technology That Mimics Nature

Science meets design: 3D-printing to innovate reef recovery

Small reef fish that often use the natural coral reefs as their habitat began using the 3d printed ones as their new home within weeks. This was followed by algae and coral polyps as they began to colonize the surface, marking the beginning of a whole new ecosystem.

For years, scientists have tried to recreate several versions of structures similar to coral reefs that can house fish and algae, such as cinder blocks and even sunken ships. But the microtextures that attracted the marine animals to the coral reefs prove to be harder to mimic.

However, MARS or Modular Artificial Reef Structure was able to capture the small intricate details of a coral reef down to its caves and nooks, which serve as habitat to small fish. In other words, 3d printing allows scientists to replicate the exact architecture that coral larvae and reef fish prefer instinctively, whether it is the way it looks or feels.

Immediate Results Beneath the Surface

One of the first locations where the scientists have tried to install the 3d printed coral reefs is in Summer Island in the Maldives. The project’s aim is simple and it is to create a new coral reef ecosystem. Within a few weeks, the reef fishes began sheltering inside the hollow structures, showing signs of bio acceptance.

Then, a year later, the artificial coral reefs are now richer than ever with more algae, bacteria, and a number of reef fish species living in them. These results signify a real ecosystem revival that can be produced at scale to restore the ocean life.

Read more: 3DNatives.com

Global Potential for Ocean Recovery

Similar 3d printed coral reefs projects are now being developed across the globe, from the Persian Gulf, Caribbean islands, to various asian reefs. After the success of the first few projects, they have now tried to replicate the coral reefs’ structure that is specific to each place, and is slowly gathering more attention globally as a new era in eco-friendly marine engineering.

Will 3D printed corals SAVE our reefs?

Author's Final Thoughts

The 3d printed coral reefs made by Australian scientists prove that human technology is not always destructive, and that it can be used for good. In this case, to help rebuild the natural habitat of countless marine animals that we have contributed to the destruction of. With the help of nature’s blueprints, combined with humanity’s innovations, we might be closer than ever to a path toward healing our oceans.

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