Thriving on 3D-printed reef

Water works: Divers planting coral fragments on an artificial reef tile whose grooves mimic the Platygyra coral in Hong Kong. — Bloomberg

HONG KONG: In the subtropical sea off northeast Hong Kong, orange and white-striped clownfish somersault like acrobats, black sea urchins furtively wiggle their antennas and crabs shuttle between crevices in a leggy panic.

Much of this activity in Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park gravitates around corals that are thriving on an artificial reef made of 3D-printed terracotta tiles, installed two years ago by researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).