When you think of getting freshwater from the sea, you probably imagine When Environmental destruction desalination plant. However, one research team believes: There may be a simpler strategy: Collects water vapor that occurs naturally on the surface of the ocean.
Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have proposed a device that would collect water vapor from above the ocean to supply freshwater to arid communities. In their new paper, they We also analyzed 14 water-stressed locations where our hypothetical device could one day be used. Locations include the Atlantic Ocean off the coast. Lisbon, Portugal, and the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. paper explain their work is published in nature scientific report.
team We looked at humidity data from 1990 to 2019 to analyze water Steam available in various locations“These locations chosen to represent climate change are near population centers located near oceans in water-scarce regions around the world,” the researchers wrote in the study. lies in subtropical regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres, where the largest arid and semi-arid regions exist.
According to research, the imaginary offshore structure is 330 feet (100 meters) high and 690 feet (210 meters) wide—wPlaced several kilometers offshore, Ability to collect water vaporThis structure collects water vapor and sends it back to land through pipes, where it condenses into fresh water.
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“In essence, our approach mimics the natural physical process of the water cycle, in which water evaporated from the ocean is transported inland, cooled, condensed and falls to the surface as precipitation. Evaporated moisture moves and controls where water becomes available through controlled condensation,” they write in the paper.
Praveen Kumar Prairie Institute The Executive Director and Research Director believes that the drought-to be influenced Places like the American Southwest would be ideal recipients of this collection water.
“We are on a climate change trajectory. One of the major lenses through which climate change affects humans is water,” Kumar tells Earther. “What happens in this case is In warmer climates, more water evaporates, As a result, more humidity can be captured. In warmer climates you will need more water. And there will be more humidity available to meet demand. “
Kumar also states that if this is concept was to If realized, it has the potential to be more environmentally friendly compared to other water solutions. “Seawater desalination has played a very important role in access to freshwater, but it also faces challenges. [with] sustainability in terms of waste,” he said. desalination plant produce brine, Supermarketsalty, chemicalFill mixture as waste. Brine can be toxic to wildlife.
Water access solutions are desperately needed.almost 2 billion people If you live in a water-scarce area, how many It could increase as climate change makes droughts more common.
