Fog catchers

Started by TamaraEnLaPlaya, August 25, 2017, 23:16:10 PM

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TamaraEnLaPlaya

Found this quite interesting, copied from RTV AguaCabra:

The fog catchers or cloud catchers managed by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura in Pico de la Zarza and Morro Velosa have collected since December 2016 more than 33,000 liters of water, data that demonstrate the effectiveness of this system of extraction of water from The fog, installed in order to take advantage of the humidity of the trade winds and to carry out a sustainable water management.

The Ministry of the Environment of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura installed the fog catchers at the end of 2014, a project co-financed with FEADER funds, collaborating the Regional Ministry of Territorial Policy, Sustainability and Security of the Government of the Canary Islands, La Caixa Banking Foundation and CajaCanarias Foundation in The maintenance of the same.

To verify the effectiveness of this tool, water meters have been placed, which measure the amount of water extracted from the storage tanks. The results obtained so far are positive, reaching about 6,500 liters of water per month during the trade season.

The operation of the mist collectors is simple. The meshes are placed on a vertical structure in the high zones of the mountains, in order to intercept the fog or the humidity that crosses the same ones by the action of the wind, forming drops of water that fall by the gravity to channels until a Storage tank

The purpose of these mist collectors is to take advantage of the water coming from the sea of ​​clouds to support the reforestation of endemic or own species of this vegetation floor, to recover the habitats that existed in these natural spaces, to provide moisture to the soil and to improve the quality Environmental and landscape.

Morro Velosa and Pico de la Zarza are two of the highest and most humid places on the island, producing what is known as the sea of ​​clouds. The humidity of the trade winds, swept by the ocean, clashes slightly with these high relief areas, creating unique ecosystems, where you can see endemic or exclusive species of Fuerteventura as the Tajine of Jandia or the winter daisy.

Because of its altitude and orientation, both the Pico de la Zarza and Morro Velosa are also two potential sites for the development of the laurel or green mountain ecosystem, being the Pico de la Zarza the most biodiverse area of ​​Fuerteventura.

Just realised, this is exactly what happens with our mossie screens most nights although being close to the sea the salt content is pretty high so probably not worth trying to harvest the water - could try going into salt production though going by the amount of crystals in the frames!

spitfire58