Explorations by Others
Explorations into water's unusual and essential attributes are added periodically to this page in featuring relevant documentaries, exhibitions, performances and public discussions. Links to current and previously featured explorations may be accessed by clicking on the respective contributor's name.
Alternative Sources of Water
As conventional sources of water become increasingly scarce due to a combination of overexploitation, pollution and climate change, there has been an uptick in methods proposed to augment the water supply with alternative sources. These methods range from conventional technologies such as desalination and wastewater recycling to more recent options introduced to capture water from fog or atmospheric air.
New twists on conventional technologies include wave-powered desalination, which is facilitated by an offshore floating facility that pumps finished drinking water to nearby coastal areas. On a smaller scale, portable desalinators using graphene membranes in a drinking water container can generate limited volumes of fresh water. Because the energy requirement of desalination is typically very high, there are now technologies that utilize either waste heat (e.g., from power plants) or forward osmosis to produce fresh water. Unlike reverse osmosis, this latter method relies on spontaneous chemical processes and a draw solution from which the freshwater is extracted.
Fog nets (composed of natural or synthetic fibers) are now used in regions where fog or coastal marine layers are common, thus providing a surface for tiny water droplets to condense and be captured by gravity. So-called smart crystals, which possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, can efficiently capture fog and produce a limited supply of water without any energy inputs.
Obtaining liquid water from the unseen water vapor in air has received considerable attention in the last decade. The exclusive use of solar energy for powering panels that facilitate the phase change of water are now used for both large- and small-scale applications. Additionally, various hydrogels and salty gels are being used to capture the air's water vapor, which is subsequently extracted as a liquid from the gels. The conversion of atmospheric to drinking water may someday be commonplace.
Apex EduTech explains atmospheric water generation
Creating Coral Reefs
Artist Colleen Flanigan explains the challenges facing coral reefs and how sculpture can serve both an aesthetic and an ecological function.
Water, Food & Sustainability
Scientist Arjen Hoekstra discusses the substantial impact of food choices on water resources via the use of water footprint calculations.
Geoengineering & Water
Scientist Jon Egill Kristjansson looks at common geoengineering techniques and how they impact the global water cycle more than ambient temperatures.
Another Kind of Water
Treating Water Respectfully
Scientist Gerald Pollack talks about water's fourth physical phase and its roles in generating bioenergy, excluding pollutants and cleaning water itself.
Patterns of Ocean Plastics
Treating Water Respectfully
Treating Water Respectfully
Artist Pamela Longobardi documents the types and patterns of plastic wastes and then creates exhibits that draw attention to this ocean issue.
Treating Water Respectfully
Treating Water Respectfully
Treating Water Respectfully
Engineer Kepa Morgan uses his professional expertise and indigenous wisdom to address water treatment and environmental remediation.
Water & Climate Change
This U.N. animation explores the close connection between climate change and water, and why the resulting effects are manifested through the water cycle.
Water as a Commodity
Discovery Channel looks at the new water futures market and its controversy in allowing investors to profit on the scarcity of an essential resource.
Water's Emergent Properties
Water's Emergent Properties
BOGObiology illustrates how water's many unique properties and behaviors emerge from simple interactions among its interconnected molecules.