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Abu Dhabi is turning to 3D printed coral reef bricks to foster new coral growth and restore its rich marine ecosystem as it grapples with severe coral bleaching and other environmental concerns
The world’s coral reefs are disappearing, with scientists predicting that 90 percent of these underwater structures will disappear within the next 20 years, endangering global biodiversity and threatening coastal communities.
The oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates, has 430 miles of coastline in the Arabian Sea, home to some of the richest coral habitats in the region. However, its coral reefs are also rapidly deteriorating.
The emirate is fighting back with cutting-edge technology. Last year, the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency began working with local investment firm ADQ and Hong Kong group Archireef to cultivate new coral reefs.
We work with a number of companies to deploy an extensive network of Reef Tiles to maximize the collective effort to restore coral populations in the region
Archireef used a 3D printer to create terracotta bricks, then installed them underwater with coral fragments that would grow and swell. According to the company’s scientists, this method of coral regeneration has a success rate of up to 95 percent.
“We’ve partnered with numerous companies to deploy an extensive network of Reef Tiles to maximize our collective efforts to restore coral populations in the region,” explained Mayez Kabbara, Head of Marketing at Archireef.
“The striking similarities between the corals off the coast of the Arabian Sea and Hong Kong convinced us that our solution holds great hope for the region. This hope was further strengthened by the heart-wrenching events of 2017, when Abu Dhabi suffered a devastating loss of 73% of coral cover in the United States,” Kabbara added.
Severe coral bleaching off the coast of Abu Dhabi dates back to 2008, when red tides of algae blooms hit due to increased shipping and warming oceans. Algae began killing off the reefs, with coral “bleaching” reaching a devastating peak in 2017.
Coral bleaching is a phenomenon triggered by increased water temperatures that cause corals to expel resident algae, also known as zooxanthellae. These algae are responsible for the coral’s vibrant color and their discharge causes the coral to take on a stark white appearance, hence the term “bleaching”.
While this process severely stresses the corals, it doesn’t kill them immediately. They have the potential to recover if water quality conditions improve or through targeted restoration efforts. However, without their symbiotic algae to facilitate the coral’s nutrient uptake through photosynthesis, the corals become more susceptible to disease, and if conditions do not improve or restoration efforts are unsuccessful, the corals may eventually die.
Therefore, coral planting like Archireefs can be useful because “it helps increase overall coral cover and facilitates ecosystem restoration,” explains Chloe Griffin, founder of the Dubai-based Chloe Blue Scuba Diving Club.
“Coral reefs are home to a wide variety of marine species. By restoring coral reefs by planting corals, we protect habitats that are vital to countless fish, invertebrates and other marine life,” Griffin added.
Healthy coral reefs also bring economic benefits, not the least of which is the return of diving and snorkelling tourism. By restoring dead and dying coral, Archireef and like-minded companies will provide coastal communities with future sustainable income.
Coral regeneration is also critical to protecting coastlines from erosion and storm damage. “By restoring and strengthening coral reef ecosystems, coral plantings help coastal areas resist climate change,” Griffin explained.
Archireef’s “Coral Reef Tiles” are made from clay, a “non-toxic material that ensures optimal pH levels in the water,” explains Archireef’s Kabbara.
Corals are sessile animals, meaning they cannot move and are anchored in one place, which often causes them to be mistaken for plants. They secrete calcium carbonate to build their rigid exoskeletons, giving them a unique and varied physical structure. Corals’ symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae that inhabit their tissues) is so integral that the overall biomass of corals is actually more plants than animals.
In order to reproduce, corals need a solid substrate, making their survival closely tied to the health of the seafloor they inhabit. Reef tiles create “the structures that corals like to inhabit,” explains Juan Diego Suarez, a marine biologist living in the United Arab Emirates.
“Once you install the tiles, the process starts. The initial coral settles, and then the whole structure gradually becomes a coral reef,” Suarez said. Although the tiles are designed and printed to encourage this process, “it’s a slow process,” he warns, taking five to ten years to produce visible results.
The waters off the coast of Abu Dhabi face a range of man-made problems, including rising sea temperatures and brine from nearby desalination plants. However, the main challenge is the massive coastal reclamation in the area to accommodate industrialization and construction. Coastal reclamation has disturbed coral reefs, and only the hardiest types survive.
Archireef’s terracotta Reef Tiles faced a particularly harsh environment. Poor visibility, high turbidity, high water salinity, temperature fluctuations and a sandy sea floor can all trigger instability in newly installed structures.
Some experts worry that corals on Archireef tiles won’t survive. James Campbell, conservation director at UAE-based dive company Freestyle Divers, warns that while it makes sense in places where sunlight can penetrate deep enough, there are places where visibility is too low to be effective. “I don’t think it fits that position,” he said. Floor tiles have a role, but “they’re not the most cost-effective way to get a lot of cover.”
Freestyle Divers began installing their own structure in July 2021, but it was destroyed by Hurricane Shaheen, which hit the area in September 2021.
Darryl Owen, owner of Freestyle Divers, explains that his company’s efforts to help rebuild corals “has gone through three design evolutions.” Now, his divers “use something about the size of a dining table, with metal legs, a metal frame, and a stainless steel grid.” The table has “thick legs so they don’t sink into the sand” and offers “plenty of space , allowing divers to “keep corals far enough apart so they don’t hurt each other”.
Coral planting is a labor-intensive process, and replanting entire reefs can be especially challenging, especially in remote areas. Ensuring the long-term survival and development of coral reefs is difficult.
“Environmental stressors, disease and predation can all hinder the success of coral planting efforts,” explains Abu Dhabi diving expert Chloe Griffin.
A coral planting program, while vital, is not a panacea. Among other things, they used a limited number of coral genotypes, leading to an overall reduction in genetic diversity.
Resources are developed here [but] This must be done in a sustainable manner. Here’s the important thing: sustainability.
Still, careful research and planning can help. “We’re all part of an ecosystem. When you develop an understanding of how things work and start to respect the system,” says marine biologist Suarez, “you can do things right.”
“The resources here are exploited,” Suarez explained, “but it has to be done in a sustainable way. That’s the important thing: sustainability.”
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