Star Wars-Style Fog Collectors Could Provide Water to the World’s Driest Cities

With less than 0.04 inches of rainfall each year, cities in Chile’s barren Atacama Desert—one of the driest places in the world—collect their water from ancient underground water sources. Now, researchers have identified another simple method that could help address water scarcity. An international team of researchers in Chile has tested the viability of a water-collection method that could be straight out of Dune: fog harvesting. The technology also brings Star Wars to mind, namely the moisture farmers of Tatooine. The practice could bring significant relief to people living in poor, informal settings without access to a stable water source, according to the study, published today in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, “The collection and use of water, especially from non-conventional sources such as fog water, represents a key opportunity to improve the quality of life of inhabitants,” Virginia Carter, an expert in sustainable development at the Universidad Mayor and fi ... Read full article.