Will 3D Printed Reefs Solve Coral Bleaching Problems?

Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of oceanic explorer Jacques Cousteau, has seen the potential benefits of installing 3D printed corals in the oceans to protect the reef and the ecosystem.

To create an artificial coral, one can use calcium carbonate found in the natural reefs that may help reverse the bleaching. Scientists can also copy the texture and look of the coral and incorporate it into the 3D printed one.

The Mirror UK has reported Cousteau as saying: "Nature does things better than we could ever imagine doing. Why not use that lesson in creating a coral structure?" He also shared that his team has tried installing an artificial reef in Valenzuela near the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Other scientists have experimented on placing it to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Persian Gulf, and Australian shores.

Not only these artificial corals will house a family of fish -- it might also attract polyps, a coral structure, that can be seen to grow and establish new natural reefs in the ocean floor. Scientists are looking at all the world's most vulnerable waters for the corals due to mass bleaching. They have often blamed climate change where the sudden change of water temperature has caused so much stress on the reef.

According to the National Geographic, the first 3D reef was installed in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf in 2012. Most artificial reefs are created in a span of 13 long hours. Scientists also look at other possibilities on how to develop them further by checking out if whether they are resilient to storms, what fish species would become attracted to live in the fake corals, or how long does an artificial reef live in the wild waters.

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered greatly in its coral bleaching issues over the past years because of global warming. Scientists said that more than half of the Great Barrier Reef was dead or dying. Also, Japan's Sekiseishoko coral reef, one of the country's largest reefs and popular diving destinations is at least 70 percent dead, according to an Environment Ministry survey.