California’s running out of water. This year’s record-breaking drought—coming after two already dry years—has the state scrambling for the liquid stuff. Plans to seed clouds for extra snowfall are already in place. But do we really require storm clouds for water? Why not use fog?
I’m supposed to know better. Fog is a phenomenon of weather. It’s a low cloud hanging near the ground. It’s shrouded moisture. It’s not a haunting ghost. It’s not from another planet. But why does this hypnotic time lapse of fog rolling through the Rocky Mountains from Richard Gottardo feel so supernatural? Or at least, from another world.
Fog harvesting systems—giant nets that collect and funnel billions of tiny drops of water into a reservoir—are already in use in parts of the world where rainfall is rare. But researchers at MIT, working with experts from the Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile, have found a way to vastly improve those nets, increasing the amount of water they collect by as much as five fold.
Dubai-based photographer Gerald Donovan has sent us this spectacular video of the city completely engulfed by fog. It’s extremely beautiful and eerie, with the Burj Khalifa and the rest of the buildings completely detached from the ground, apparently built on clouds. More »