Could oceanic water vapor supply fresh water in the future?
In 10 seconds? Researchers have recently proposed a way to tackle the shortage of freshwater by using methods that enable us to capture humid air over the oceans.
What? Water captured from the air? Are we so desperate? Well, the increase in the global population coupled with climate change is resulting in a need for more freshwater at a time when the resource is becoming scarcer. Dwindling water resources are posing a very serious threat to a growing world population and contribute to conflict and migration. We know that an almost limitless amount of fresh water exists above the Earth’s oceans in the form of water vapor that we are currently unable to use, but this may all be set to change. A recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests that investment in new infrastructure that could harvest this vapor could provide the solution to freshwater scarcity all over the world.