Harvesting Untapped Source of Freshwater - Researchers Propose New Structures

An almost limitless supply of freshwater exists in the form of water vapour above Earth's oceans, yet remains untapped, researchers said. A new study suggests an investment in new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapour as a solution to limited supplies of freshwater in various locations around the world.

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An almost limitless supply of freshwater exists in the form of water vapour above Earth’s oceans, yet remains untapped, researchers said. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the first to suggest an investment in new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapour as a solution to limited supplies of freshwater in various locations around the world.

The study, led by civil and environmental engineering professor and Prairie Research Institute executive director Praveen Kumar, evaluated 14 water-stressed locations across the globe for the feasibility of a hypothetical structure capable of capturing water vapour from above the ocean and condensing it into freshwater and do so in a manner that will remain feasible in the face of continued climate change.

Kumar, graduate student Afeefa Rahman and atmospheric sciences professor Francina Dominguez published their findings in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. “Water scarcity