#261 - Balsa Cubes, CWQTP, US water funding and disputes & SA rising!
Water Water Everywhere...
Hey Readers,
Apologies for missing the readout last week, but it makes for a longer read this week so win-win? Let us know how you feel about a longer read every 2 weeks?
Balsa wood cubes to extract water from air
Engineers from Australia and China have invented a sponge-like device that captures water from air and then releases it in a cup using the sun's energy, even in low humidity. Leaning on balsa’s naturally spongy structure, they then modified it in their system into a wood-based composite to absorb water from the atmosphere and release it on demand. The device they built on wood's spongy scaffolding, lithium chloride, iron oxide nanoparticles, a carbon nanotube layer and other specialized features. They then further configured it to fit snugly into a cup with a dome lid and anti-pollution tray, a cooling mechanism and an activation system powered by the sun.
In testing their device remained effective across a broad range of humidity levels (from 30 to 90%) and temperatures (from 5 to 55 degrees Celsius). The team used artificial intelligence for accurate prediction and optimisation of the device's water harvesting and discharging performance under varying environmental conditions.
Groundwater depletion causing South Africa to rise up (literally!)
Across South Africa, scientists have noticed an unusual phenomenon: the land is rising. Measurements show consistent uplift of up to two millimeters per year in many regions. But why is it rising? - well, imagine pressing down on a sponge. When you release it, it springs back. Earth’s crust behaves in a similar way. When water saturates the land, it weighs it down. When that water disappears – whether from rivers, soil, or aquifers – the crust rebounds.
No more harmful algae monitoring
Harmful algal blooms have been affecting ecosystems everywhere, but now we are more at risk of the effects from the same. Why you ask? - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, a critical facility for detecting and mitigating toxic algal blooms, has been gutted by staffing cuts and budget restrictions, according to a new report from ProPublica.
Mexico sending more water to the US
The U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Monday that Mexico would increase its water shipments to Texas to help make up a shortfall under a 1944 treaty that outlines water-sharing between the countries. Read more from Reuters here.
$49M for Small, Rural & Tribal water needs
It’s not all bad news, as the EPA have allotted $49 million in funding to help communities address wastewater challenges.
And finally for this week, we have our friends at the Billion Oyster Project with their 14th Community Water Quality Testing (CWQT) season this spring/summer. You can see Week 1 results here.
That is it for this Friday, until next week,
Peace!