The Atacama desert is one of the most arid places on the planet. And right there a handful of “crazy” is trying to get water out of the fog

The oceans and seas house, According to estimates Used by the United States Geological Service (USGS), more than 96.5% of the water on our planet. In contrast, The atmosphere contains A modest 0.001% of this total. The clouds, fog and moisture of the air itself contains somewhat less than 13,000 cubic kilometers that also represent 0.04% of the planet’s fresh water.

But in contexts in which the drought squeezes, each drop can count.

Collecting water from the fog. A group of researchers He has successfully tested A method to obtain water from the fog. The system was able to collect between 0.2 and 5 liters of water per square meter and day.

Secarral To test the method, the team responsible for the analysis resorted to the Municicpio of Alto Hospicio, located in the Atacama desert. This desert houses some of the most arid areas on the planet, in which rainfall barely reaches the annual millimeter.

The city depends for its supply of the water contained in underground aquifers, but According to the team itselfthese have not been duly recharged in a period of between 10,000 and 17,000 years. The city extends rapidly and fruit of it around 10,000 of its residents live in informal settlements, almost all of them disconnected from the water supply system.

“The collection and use of water, especially unconventional sources such as fog water, represents a key opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants,” explained in a press release Virginia Carter Hamberini, co -author of the study.

A “new” method … A study that managed to show the potential of this technology. The team tested these mechanisms in the surroundings of the city of Alto Hospicio for a year, obtaining between 0.2 and 5 liters per square meter and day. Between August and September 2024, during the season of greatest activity, it was possible to reach up to 10 liters per square meter and day.

“This research represents a notorious change in the perception of the use of water from fog, from a rural and rather small -scale solution to a practical water source for cities,” adds Carter Humberini. “Our findings show that fog can serve as a complementary source of urban water in dry areas where climate change exacerbates water deficiencies”

The mechanism also has its limitations, they clarify. One of them is that its use is limited to high elevations outside the city limits.

… that is not so new. The collection of fog water is not something novel, as Carter Haberini recalls, but it can be a convenient method to be climbed in a context like the present.

The Fog Water Collection Appliancessuch as the one used in the study, they consist of a network through which the air loaded with moisture circulates. Part of that moisture is coupled to the fibers of the network and falls through them to a channel that leads to a deposit. The water of the deposit can thus be used in a variety of uses such as human consumption or agriculture.

The details of the experiment were published In an article In the magazine Frontiers in Environmental Science.

Learning lessons. The viability of fog water collection depends on the geographical characteristics of the environment: both climate and orography can affect the ability of this mechanism to provide water. These favorable conditions can occur in some areas of Spain, where already There are those who consider similar projects.

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Image | Virginia Carter Haberini