In the Face of Climate Change: Saving Coral Reefs with 3D Printing

A combination of human activities has put a number of species of coral on both the endangered and threatened species lists, but as humanity as a whole eradicates these crucial creatures, some people are doing their part to try and restore coral populations around the world. Among them is Alex Goad, whose Australia-based Reef Design Lab is creating artificial structures using 3D printing on which to grow new coral colonies.
Engineering.com reached out to Goad to learn about what he’s doing to benefit the marine ecosystem and how 3D printing fits in with his company’s work. Perhaps best known for the stunning colors and shapes decorating the Great Barrier Reef, coral is crucial to many aspects of life-related to marine ecosystems and, thus, the larger global ecosystem as a whole.