Friday, June 27, 2008

If there is an ocean there is potential water to drink

Water is appearing to become more problematic with each passing year. The title I used to denote that even though all oceans are salty they are also potential drinking water. So all one really needs is an ocean even on the edge of a desert and about 12 feet by 4 feet wide of black plastic 4ml to 6 or even 8 ml thick. 6 feet by 4 feet of it one could gather about a gallon of water from the ocean after digging a hole about 1 foot deep in the sand. Then you need a cup or larger container to drip distill the water into. After placing your empty cup or bowl in the center of the water to be solar distilled then place your second 6 foot by 4 foot sheet of black plastic on top of the hole lined with black plastic and your empty cup or bowl to capture drip distilled water. Then place on top of the second plastic sheet a rock exactly where you want the drip distilled water to condense back from water vapor into water into the bowl or cup. Then leave for a few hours to a day and you have water to drink even if you are on the edge of a desert right next to you. Saltwater, sun, a cup or bowl and two sheets of plastic and a rock to weight the plastic are all you need. Also, a little sand to hold the top black plastic in place around the edges so it doesn't blow away in the sea wind and of course a sunny day.

The above is a survival idea I got from Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild. However, water is becoming more of a problem and because of this in the end many of us might need to solar distill sea water in order to survive the coming years on earth.

Remember this one thing: Even if it never rained again on earth you could still survive by solar distilling sea water. If your plastic distilleries were large enough you could even make enough water to grow food if the soil was okay for that near the ocean. If you are concerned about pollution of sea water where you are then use some driftwood to build a small fire and boil the water you distill before you drink it just for safety.

When I stayed in India in one place more than one week I bought a kerosene cook stove and boiled any water I was going to drink for myself or my family 5 minutes at boil before we drank any. We boiled at least a gallon every night in our hotel room in the Himalayas for the next day. Each of us carried our own bottle for water. This was 1986.

Wind and the lack of rain water or snow melt will likely cause major migrations toward better water sources over the next 20 to 30 years. Those that migrate will survive. Those that don't might not. It's as simple as that worldwide.

Having given all this a lot of thought I have realized that High winds and long term droughts are much more problematic long term than floods, hurricanes or cyclones. At least water events bring water and move sometimes new fertile soil into your area. However, long term droughts combined with high winds just tend to kill everything from plant to animal to human.

Since I live in California and there are presently 1100 fires in the state(mostly lightning caused) I can see first hand what getting a lot of rain in northern California in January and February and almost no rain since does. The weeds grow statewide from all the rain then turn brown early and now for the past two months all the fires in northern California. Drought has plagued Southern California for several years. The 1100 fires mostly in Northern California are from the Driest March through May pretty much in history. So southern Oregon, Nevada and Northern and Southern California are in for it this summer and fall and maybe even next winter (or until the rains come again in earnest).

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