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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Air Wells, Dew Ponds and Fog Fences: Methods to Condense Atmospheric Humidity
  • Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:09:26 -0500

http://www.rexresearch.com/airwells/airwells.htm

*Air Wells, Fog Fences & Dew Ponds*

*Methods for Recovery of Atmospheric Humidity*

by

*Robert A. Nelson*
*Introduction ~*

* "Humans* must drink about a gallon of water every day to remain alive.
Modern urbanites easily consume 100 gal/day by bathing, laundering, and
watering lawns, etc. If groundwater or rain is not available, there are
several little-known alternative methods to obtain fresh water by
condensing atmosphere humidity. We live in a dilute ocean of aerial
moisture. There are also real "sky rivers" full of fresh water from which
we can draw.

In 1993, Reginald E. Newell (M.I.T.), *et al*., found 10 huge
filamentary structures that are the preferable pathways of water vapor
movement in the troposphere (the lower 10-20 km of the atmosphere) with
flow rates of about 165 million kilograms of water per second. These
"atmospheric rivers" are bands from 200 to 480 miles wide and up to 4,800
miles long, between 1-2 kilometers above the earth. They transport about
70% of the fresh water from the equator to the midlatitudes, are of great
importance in determining the location and amount of winter rainfall on
coastlines. (Ref 1)

According to Newell, "A typical flow in [the] South American
tropospheric river is very close to that in the Amazon (about 165 x 106 kg
sec-1). There are typically five rivers leading into the middle latitudes
of the Southern Hemisphere and four or five leading into the Northern
Hemisphere. The rivers persist for 10 days or more while being translated
generally eastward at speeds of 6 m/sec-1." (Figure 1)

Approximately 3,100 cubic miles of water is in the atmosphere at any
said time, 98% in the form of vapor, 2% in clouds. About 280 cubic miles of
water evaporate or transpire into the atmosphere each day. A cubic mile of
water contains over one trillion gallons. The continental USA receives
about 4 cubic miles of rainfall daily. More than 2,000,000 cubic miles of
fresh water is stored in underground aquifers; about 60,000 cubic miles of
fresh water are stored in lakes, inland seas, and rivers. About 7,000,000
cubic miles of water are contained in glaciers and polar icecaps, and in
Greenland. The world’s reserves of fresh water are estimated at
approximately 35 million cubic kilometers, including glaciers, ground
water, wells, rivers, lakes, and precipitation as rain and snow. Yet it is
inadequate for the ever-increasing, largely unrestrained demands of human
civilization, so that alternative sources are desperately needed. While
desalination of seawater is an obvious option, as yet the total quantity
produced in this way amounts to about 10 km3, which is only a very small
percentage of the 3000 cubic km3 consumed annually."




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