Are Legos a Possible Solution for Coral Restoration?
The water covers roughly 70% of our Earth’s surface and is home to many different species of marine creatures, one of which is coral. Corals group together to create coral reefs that decorate the shallow waters with their beautiful and vibrant colours. However, coral reefs around the world are disappearing due to global warming, high water acidity, water pollution and many more. Between 2008 to 2019, 14% of the world’s coral reefs were destroyed due to global warming. Fortunately, researchers in Singapore have developed a unique way of saving reefs but before we go any further, it is important to address the importance of coral reefs to the marine ecosystem.
Coral are made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny organisms called polyps which connect their calcium carbonate exoskeleton to form the structure we know as coral. Polyps use their tentacles to bring in food and excrete waste, which is then used by algae and other organisms as a source of nutrients. If all the coral reefs went extinct, a lot of fish species would go extinct as well. In addition, coral reefs serve as a home for certain species of marine organisms such as sponges, crabs, oysters, sea stars, sea urchins, and many different species of fishes. Coral reefs serve an important role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems and that is why researchers in Singapore are trying to save coral reefs from destruction with our childhood companion, Legos.
This idea, developed by Neo Mei Lin and Jani Tanzil from the National University of Singapore, uses Legos as a platform for corals to grow healthily. Once the coral has grown into the suitable size, the researchers will put back the corals into the ocean for them to thrive and maintain the ecosystem. The researchers collect corals that have been separated from their main frame in order to not damage the existing coral reefs. They then bring those corals back to their lab where they can control the environment and make sure the corals grow healthily.
The researchers use Legos because they can be built to match any structure that is required for corals to grow. If the corals grow upwards, they can build a tower, if it grows outwards they can build a Lego base. Upon introducing healthy corals into the ocean, the Lego structures are removed, and the Legos are extracted to grow more coral. Aside from this, the Legos can also be used to make homes for barnacles, sea urchins and giant clams which .
Other countries are beginning to take on similar methods to help regrow the coral ecosystem. Scientists in Hong Kong are using 3D printed clay-based structures for coral reefs to grow. When it is time for the corals to go back into the ocean, the clay structures are kept due to their renewable, sustainable, and biodegradable attributes These innovative methods are mind-blowing but without impactful actions coming from us, they will be for nought. Let’s start to live an eco-friendly lifestyle to cultivate the beauty that is nature!
By: Alvin Christian Halim
References:
Singapore Has This Genius Way of Fixing Ocean Problems
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7mk7a/singapore-coral-reefs-lego