Scientists Want to Farm Fog to Solve the Water Crisis
Using pieces of mesh, these fog-harvesting machines collect water droplets and funnel them into storage tanks.
Fog-harvesting systems aren't just a small-scale solution; they could be a practical, reliable water system for cities.
For some, foggy days, with their soft, quiet atmosphere, are the perfect reason to curl up and read. But, in addition to a lazy Sunday mood-setter, fog could soon also become a deeply vital resource. According to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, atmospheric water, which of course includes fog, has the potential to serve as an effective water source for crucial uses like irrigation, hydroponic farming, and, probably most important, human consumption.
The study focuses on fog in Alto Hospicio—a city on the edge of the Chilean Atacama Desert, which just so happens to be the driest non-polar place on Earth. On average, the desert gets less than one millimeter of rainfall every year.
City inhabitants depend on massive sub-surface storehouses of water called underground aquifers. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, aquifers occur when porous, water-bearing rock readily transmits water to wells and springs. Think of when you're at the beach and dig so deep in the sand that the hole gets flooded with water. You've just dug a well to expose the water table and aquifer underneath. While this may seem like a reliable water source, the aquifers at Alto Hospicio haven't been recharged in over 10,000 years.
Researchers conducted the study over the course of a year and found that peak fog season fell between August and September in 2024. The fog-harvesting contraption researchers used is extremely simple, using a suspended piece of mesh to intercept the fog. Water droplets form on the fabric and eventually run down to a gutter into storage tanks. According to the researchers, the system is low-cost, passive, and low-maintenance.
After the year-long study, researchers found the fog-harvesting system could produce a daily average of 2.5 liters of water per square meter. During peak season, the fog-harvester has the potential to collect 10 liters of water per square meter a day. Authors of the study suggest that 17,000 square meters of mesh could produce enough to meet the weekly water needs (300,000 liters) of communities that face similar struggles as Alto Hospicio.
'This research represents a notable shift in the perception of fog water use—from a rural, rather small-scale solution to a practical water resource for cities,' said Dr Virginia Carter Gamberini, first co-author of the study, in a Frontiers press release. 'Our findings demonstrate that fog can serve as a complementary urban water supply in drylands where climate change exacerbates water shortages.'
According to the paper, confronting water scarcity could correct the social inequality that non-renewable water systems perpetuate. Water stress affects many regions—including Chile—especially because of urban growth and megadroughts.
'The collection and use of water,' Carter said, 'especially from non-conventional sources such as fog water, represents a key opportunity to improve the quality of life of inhabitants.'
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