WASHINGTON - Two German scientists are working with new settlements on the outskirts of Lima in Peru to set up special fog-collecting nets that gather hundreds of gallons of water a day, which would help bring water to parched villages.
According to a report in National Geographic magazine, the scientists in question are German conservationists and biologists Kai Tiedemann and Anne Lummerich, who run Alimon, a small nonprofit that supports Latin American development.
Since 2006, they’ve been working with new settlements on the outskirts of Lima to set up special nets that scoop water directly from the air.
Rain rarely falls on these dry hills. The annual precipitation in Lima is about half an inch (1.5 centimeters), and the city gets its water from far-off Andean lakes.
But every winter, from June to November, dense fog sweeps in from the Pacific Ocean.
With a few thousand dollars and some volunteer labor, a village can set up fog-collecting nets that gather hundreds of gallons of water a day, without a single drop of rain falling.
As far back as 2,000 years ago, desert villages and other rain-starved communities around the world may have started harvesting fog that collected as water and dripped from trees, according to Robert Schemenauer, executive director of FogQuest, a Canadian nonprofit organization that helps communities set up simple collection devices.
Serious work on collecting fog started about a hundred years ago. Since then, fog catchers have been used successfully, though on a small scale, all over the world.
In small communities that can’t get water from wells, rain, or a river, the technique can be a lifesaver, freeing poor people from exorbitant water prices.
That’s exactly what’s starting to happen in Peru.
Lummerich and Tiedemann based their fog collectors on a design Schemenauer developed with Chilean researchers for villages in Chile in the 1980s.
They searched for the right place to carry out their project, and found that place on the steep slopes around Lima.
“It’s amazing when you’re up there and it’s foggy and the wind comes in. Then, you hear all the water start running into the reservoir. It’s like opening a tap,” Lummerich said.
She and Tiedemann also designed another fog collector, with multiple layers of netting to better catch a shifting wind, which they erected in 2007.
The new design has collected more than 600 gallons (2,271 liters) in a day without taking up any more space than the original nets. (ANI)
Related News
Congress to consider bill that would ease Calif. water transfers, aid drought-stricken farmsOctober 7th, 2009 Congress to consider water bill for Calif. farmersWASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers from California have introduced legislation intended to increase the flow of water to the state's parched San Joaquin Valley, where farmers have idled thousands of acres.
Water on moon: Scientists cry eureka!September 24th, 2009 CHENNAI - India's first lunar mission is perhaps the only space project that has raised many eyebrows. But the sensational finding of water on moon has vindicated Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials' faith in the Rs.386-crore mission.
Signs of water on moon more widespread than expected: ScientistsSeptember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The element hydrogen - a key ingredient in water - is more widespread than expected at the moon's south pole, scientists said Thursday. NASA scientists announced the first data sent back to Earth from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a satellite that will spend the next year making the most detailed maps yet of the moon's surface to prepare for man's eventual return.
New laser technology makes it possible to turn light into soundSeptember 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists has developed a new laser technology that has made it possible to turn light into sound. Developed by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory, US, the technology has the potential to expand and improve both Naval and commercial underwater acoustic applications, including undersea communications, navigation and acoustic imaging.
Global 3D map indicates presence of water in certain areas of Earth's mantleAugust 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Oregon State University in the US have created the first global three-dimensional map of electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle, which suggests that that enhanced conductivity in certain areas of the mantle may signal the presence of water. According to scientists, those areas of high conductivity coincide with subduction zones - where tectonic plates are being subducted beneath the Earth's crust.
Bioethanol's impact on water supply 3 times higher than previously thoughtAugust 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have determined that production of bioethanol, often regarded as the clean-burning energy source of the future, may consume up to three times more water than previously thought. Sangwon Suh and colleagues from Minnesota, point out in the study that annual bioethanol production in the US is currently about 9 billion gallons and note that experts expect it to increase in the near future.
Scientists create material that can repel hot waterJuly 16th, 2009 LONDON - In a breakthrough study, scientists from University of Minnesota in St Paul have developed a new material that can repel hot water. The new discovery could help protect vulnerable members of the population such as elderly, children, physically impaired people from hot-water burns.
Scientists see dramatic increase in amount of fresh water in Arctic OceanJuly 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by scientists has shown a dramatic increase in the amount of fresh water in the Arctic Ocean. Fresh water flowing into or out of the Arctic Ocean plays an important role in ocean circulation and may be a factor in the response of the world ocean to climate change.
Salts found in icy plumes ejected from a Saturn moon; adds spice to search for life in spaceJune 24th, 2009 Study: Saturn moon has liquid water below surfaceNEW YORK — Scientists have found new evidence that one of Saturn's moons has an ocean beneath its surface. That's important because liquid water is a key ingredient for life.
NASA moon mission to pave way for humans' returnMay 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US space agency NASA has said it is ready to send two missions to the moon in a launch next month that will set the course for the resumption of human lunar exploration. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) are to launch aboard a single rocket June 17.
New ice provides an eco-friendly way for putting out firesApril 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists in Japan have reported the development of a new type of ice that may provide a more efficient, environmentally-friendly method for putting out fires, including out-of control blazes that destroy homes and forests. Toshihisa Ueda and colleagues note in the new study that firefighters have used water and carbon dioxide (CO2) as fire extinguishing agents for decades.
Bioethanol uses thrice as much water as thought earlierApril 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Bioethanol is a clean-burning energy source, but can gobble up to three times more water than previously thought, a major issue given the increasing water scarcity worldwide. The growing demand for bioethanol, particularly corn-based ethanol, has sparked significant concerns among researchers and a raging public controversy about its impact on water availability.
Scientists build world's most buoyant boatsMarch 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists in China have built mini prototypes for the most buoyant boats ever, which are made of copper mesh coated with a highly water repellent material that can float extremely well. According to a report in National Geographic News, the boats, made out of the superhydrophobic mesh, even stay afloat "when the upper edges are just a hair below the surface of the water."
"In fact, these boats are able to carry a load exceeding the maximal capacities calculated from the boat's volume," said study co-author Qinmin Pan, a chemist at the Harbin Institute of Technology.
Evidence of salt water found on Mars, scientists sayMarch 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A group of scientists who worked on the Phoenix Mars lander last year say they have found evidence of liquid salt water on the red planet. An analysis of photographs from the lander that explored Mars for six months shows drops of what could be salty, liquid water on the legs of the lander.
Liquid saltwater on Mars detected by NASA's Phoenix LanderMarch 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new analysis by a group of mission scientists has determined that salty, liquid water has been detected on a leg of the Mars Phoenix Lander and therefore could be present at other locations on the Red Planet. This is the first time liquid water has been detected and photographed outside the Earth.
Loading ...