Role of Atmospheric Moisture flux in Establishing Feasibility of Freshwater Harvesting from Near Sea Surface Atmospheric Layer

Abstract:

We examine the possibility of harvesting atmospheric water over oceans to meet human needs. Production sufficiency and energy efficacy are two key factors that underlay the philosophy of atmospheric water harvesting techniques. Therefore, the implementation of an atmospheric water harvesting system requires the investigation of the moisture flux supply capacity to ensure the geographical feasibility in terms of production sufficiency. The "supply-side" of moisture flux is attributed to the transport of water vapor from ocean surface through the turbulent-scale processes. Thus, coastal regions can be hypothesized spatially suitable for atmospheric water harvesting since the near-sea surface atmospheric layer is warmer with high water vapor flux throughout the year. In this study, we employ the ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-5) dataset for the oceanic region across the globe to obtain the temporal and spatial estimate of the moisture flux in the near sea surface atmospheric layer. Study results demonstrate the impact of meteorological variables like wind field and atmospheric humidity on the estimate of convergence of atmospheric moisture flux available for uptake through appropriate intake of the harvesting system. This work identifies the oceanic regions, which can potentially supply adequate moisture flux to lead the freshwater production by harvesting oceanic atmospheric moisture to a success.