April Fool's Day (I know 'twas yesterday) … let's collect fog to drink – shall we?!
Fog collection in Atacama Desert, Chile
Yes – it's real … fog has been collected over aeons, while in human times traced back to the 13th century Inca Empire … fog was collected for their water requirements … from trees dripping their moisture into containers placed underneath the foliage from the coastal mists and fogs …
Strange but true … and those early humans, of course, realised that nature offered this ancient practice … from the small-scale drinking pools of condensation collected in plant stems, to these Namib beetles … all do it!
The Racingstripe Darkling Beetle,
Namibia. (stenocara gracilipes)
Also the Redwood forests survive particularly due to the addition of condensation on needles which drip into the trees' root stems …
Fog collecting has been devised using stone piles in Ukraine, medieval dew ponds in southern England and volcanic stone covers on the fields of Lanzarote …
One of the first recent projects was in 1969 in South Africa … the collector is made up of three major parts: the frame, the mesh netting, and the trough of basin …
Fog Collection
Mist or fog amongst
Red Forest
The design is adjusted according to the area – geography, the mesh has to be appropriate, while the frame size can vary as necessary …
You're lucky … I will not try and work out how much, etc etc … I'd probably be here in a few years still pondering!!
Cloud Forest in Sri Lanka
Building-integrated fog collectors into architectural elements is an ongoing emerging technology … we are still learning …
Fog can be harvested in the Atacama and Namib Deserts … fog fences … and surprisingly in Canada: where fog collecting devices were deployed on Mont Sutton in Quebec to study the constituents of the fog.
Village - Ait Baamrane, bordering
the Sahara Desert, Morocco
Men and Women collect potable water
from fog and mists
Fog Collection - Wikipedia - see Quebec information here
Fog-Harvesting - c/o UN Climate Technology Centre & Network ...
Humans are behind the curve, but 'suddenly' we realise we could learn from our ancestors and their environment … we do not appreciate that which we have … thank goodness for scientists and people who are curious … always looking to improve life for all …
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
19 comments:
Yeah, fog is just water vapor after all. Useful in areas that don't get a lot of rainfall.
We often have thick-fog warnings where I am and we're in a drought. We need to collect the water. Interesting post, Hilary!
Love,
Janie
If an area doesn't get a lot of rain it's a viable option.
Hari OM
I recall learning about collecting the condensation from our old canvas tents in my Guiding days - same principle. I am ever grateful to live in a place where water is plentiful. YAM xx
oh I didn't know that was a thing; fog collectors That is quite clever and might be very important for the future
@ Liz - thanks ... the particulates are looked at too ... especially in these days ...
@ Janie - tiny amounts I suspect Janie ... but in arid regions it's been an option over the millennia ...
@ Alex - it's proving to be an option to be considered now-a-days ... and is being built in as an architectural element ...
@ Yam - oh yes waking up when we were kids in the garden camping ... lots of damp outside. I don't remember it from guiding ... but as you say same principle. Yes I count my blessings ...
@ Marja - thanks ... it could be important as we live on ...
Great to see you all - have a peaceful Easter weekend - Hilary
Water is scarce in many parts of the world, Hilary, and wars may be fought over it. We may have to resort to these ancient practices and collect and preserve every drop. Best wishes - David
I never thought about collecting fog.
If it was April the 1st, I'd have had my doubts, but it seems it's true! I can't believe it's 69 years since we learnt that spaghetti grows on trees!
How would we have developed as human beings without curiosity? We need it still today.
@ David - how right you are water is so scarce ... we've had a few water bursts here, leaving houses without water - I'm glad ours down here has been short and reasonable. People in the future may well tap into these old practices ...
@ Diane - I have to say I hadn't really thought about it earlier either ... but it's interesting to learn these things ...
@ Keith - yes ... I missed the 1st. But I do remember the spaghetti tree - took me in completely ... and I do still remember it.
@ Janice - you're right there ... curiosity still reigns supreme for some of us ...
Cheers to you all - Hilary
Wonderful, Hilary. We should all be fog collectors. It would make such a difference to water management! Thank you for this fascinating post. I love to see the references to South Africa as well. xx
Hi Val - it's an interesting thought isn't it ... we could at least build it in somewhere into our lives ... helping us (our gardens anyway), helping birds and insects alike ... yes - I'm pleased there's a few South African readers around ... I'll be over! Cheers Hilary
You know, Hils, since you started this out with an April Fools Day, I had to check it out. And yes folks collected fog:) Fun topic. Have a pleasant, healthy rest of your week. Cheers,
Hi Sandra - I meant to post on April Fool's Day ... but yes fog is collected ... and in due time could be of great value for some communities - at least it's being looked at - cheers Hilary
I completely agree. It seems it would be especially beneficial for drought areas, doesn't it? YOU take care:) Cheers
Enjoy the weekend, Hils. Cheers,
I am very late to comment. This "fog" made me think now of the mists in the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. Could definitely gather water from it. Hope you are having a good April. Cheers.
@ Sandra ... I'm sure fog collection will help somewhat ... and yes thank you - the weekend was quiet ...
@ Joanne - yes ... the misty high forests - your cloud forest in Costa Rica - wonderful place to visit. The area must benefit from the damp found high up ... so far not many April showers here, thankfully!
Cheers to you both - nearly early Summer - Hilary
Post a Comment