When you think of getting fresh water from the ocean, you think of high costs and environmentally damaging desalination plants. But a team of researchers thinks there may be a simpler strategy: collecting naturally occurring water vapor on the ocean surface.
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign propose a device that will collect water vapor above the ocean and create a freshwater source for arid communities. In a new paper, they also analyzed 14 water-stressed locations where the hypothetical device could be used in the future. These places include the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Lisbon, and the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Portugal and Los Angeles. An article describing the work was published in Nature Scientific Reports.
The team analyzed humidity data from 1990 to 2019 to analyze water vapor found in different locations.
According to the study, imaginary offshore structures 100 meters high and 210 meters wide will be located several kilometers offshore to maximize their ability to collect water vapor. The structure will collect water vapor and send it back to land, where it will condense into fresh water through a pipe.
“In fact, our approach mimics the natural physical process of the hydrological cycle where moisture evaporated from the ocean is transported to land, cooled, and condensed onto the land surface as rain, but we propose to design the path that evaporated moisture moves so that water can reach it through controlled condensation,” the researchers write in their paper. .
Praveen Kumar, executive director of the Prairie Research Institute and study leader, says drought-affected areas such as the Southwest America would be ideal recipients for this collected water.
“We are on a path where the climate is changing,” Kumar told Earther. One of the primary points where climate change affects people is water. In this case, in a warmer climate, there is more water evaporation and, as a result, more moisture that can be captured. Therefore, in a warmer climate you will need more water and more moisture will be available to meet demand.”
Kumar adds that if this concept becomes a reality, it could be more environmentally friendly than other water solutions: “Desalination has played a crucial role in accessing fresh water, but there are sustainability challenges in terms of waste.” Desalination plants produce a highly salty, chemical-laden brine mixture as a waste product. This salt water can also be toxic to wildlife.
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