21 votes

Fog harvesting could provide water for the driest cities

11 comments

  1. Fiachra
    Link
    From Wikipedia: Looks like fog harvesting is at an intersection of technical advancement and fortuitous local conditions: a desert relatively close to the sea, kept arid only by the rain shadow of...

    From Wikipedia:

    The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, [...] and the largest fog desert in the world.

    The most arid region of the Atacama Desert is situated between two mountain chains, the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range, which are high enough to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, creating a two-sided rain shadow effect.

    Looks like fog harvesting is at an intersection of technical advancement and fortuitous local conditions: a desert relatively close to the sea, kept arid only by the rain shadow of long mountain ranges. So how generalisable is this?

    A fog desert is a type of desert where fog drip supplies the majority of moisture needed by animal and plant life. Examples of fog deserts include the Atacama Desert of coastal Chile and Peru; the Baja California desert of Mexico; the Namib Desert in Namibia; the Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert

    That's a surprisingly decent list of candidates! The fog harvesting in Morocco mentioned by the article also seems to depend on moist air from the sea hitting mountain barriers miles inland. But those mountains are a fair distance inland! Clearly the environmental conditions required for fog harvesting aren't impossibly strict.

    9 votes
  2. [8]
    fefellama
    Link
    Wow that seems incredibly effective and efficient. This is the most solarpunk shit I've seen in a while. Really cool stuff, hope it takes off. Thanks for sharing, OP.

    annual average water collection rate of 2.5 litres per square metre of mesh per day

    Wow that seems incredibly effective and efficient. This is the most solarpunk shit I've seen in a while. Really cool stuff, hope it takes off.

    Thanks for sharing, OP.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      TumblingTurquoise
      Link Parent
      I wonder what the impact of harvesting this water will be. The fog is there due to some reason, and I can see this causing some sort of disturbance of the natural equilibrium. But who can even...

      I wonder what the impact of harvesting this water will be. The fog is there due to some reason, and I can see this causing some sort of disturbance of the natural equilibrium. But who can even foresee such a thing?

      5 votes
      1. fefellama
        Link Parent
        Im sure there are consequences, but in my mind it’s not much different than collecting rainwater. So might be useful to look at what the impacts of that are. Not sure if there are any studies on...

        Im sure there are consequences, but in my mind it’s not much different than collecting rainwater. So might be useful to look at what the impacts of that are. Not sure if there are any studies on that, but considering we’ve been collecting rainwater a lot longer than we’ve been collecting fog, there’s bound to be some info.

        1 vote
    2. [5]
      Turtle42
      Link Parent
      I haven't heard the term solarpunk before, and I love it. My first thought was Dune. Either way we are truly living in science fiction at this point.

      I haven't heard the term solarpunk before, and I love it.

      My first thought was Dune. Either way we are truly living in science fiction at this point.

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        babypuncher
        Link Parent
        My first thought was the original Star Wars. Luke and his aunt and uncle were moisture farmers, but it's never really explained how that works beyond the use of "moisture vaporators".

        My first thought was the original Star Wars. Luke and his aunt and uncle were moisture farmers, but it's never really explained how that works beyond the use of "moisture vaporators".

        8 votes
        1. [2]
          RheingoldRiver
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          SAME OMG if we get moisture farming surely lightsabers cant be that far away right????

          SAME OMG

          if we get moisture farming surely lightsabers cant be that far away right????

          4 votes
          1. TaylorSwiftsPickles
            Link Parent
            "The Hacksmith" on youtube have been developing proto-sabers and lightsaber prototypes throughout the years, if you're interested. Obviously, it's not quite like a real lightsaber, but still

            "The Hacksmith" on youtube have been developing proto-sabers and lightsaber prototypes throughout the years, if you're interested. Obviously, it's not quite like a real lightsaber, but still

        2. updawg
          Link Parent
          It's simple. They take the water vapor and turn it into vapor.

          It's simple. They take the water vapor and turn it into vapor.

  3. [2]
    Grayscail
    Link
    Finally I can achieve my dream of being a moisture farmer just like Luke Skywalker.

    Finally I can achieve my dream of being a moisture farmer just like Luke Skywalker.

    1 vote
    1. chewonbananas
      Link Parent
      Or a giant flap of skin known as the last human that says "Moisturize me." every five minutes.

      Or a giant flap of skin known as the last human that says "Moisturize me." every five minutes.