- Researchers in Chile found that fog harvesting can provide a sustainable, low-energy way to supplement water supplies in arid regions such as the Atacama Desert.
- The study showed that fog collectors could yield up to 10 liters of water per square meter per day, supporting irrigation, agriculture, and drinking water for a community of 10,000 people.
- Although most effective at higher altitudes, the researchers hope the technique will inspire policymakers to integrate fog collection into national water strategies to enhance climate resilience and water security.
Amid the snow and rainy season, it can be difficult to imagine water becoming scarcer worldwide. However, as the United Nations explains, more than two billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, and about half of the world experiences severe water scarcity for several months each year. It also notes that over the past two decades, terrestrial water storage (including soil moisture, snow, and ice) has declined by about 0.4 inches per year. And, “these numbers are expected to increase, exacerbated by climate change and population growth.”
There may, however, be a simple solution all around us: fog harvesting.
In 2025, researchers from Chile released findings on whether they could harvest fog around Alto Hospicio in the Atacama Desert region, which sees less than 0.2 inches of rain per year. It’s a relatively straightforward solution. As they explained, the fog collectors are simply pieces of mesh suspended between two posts. The water droplets collect on the mesh and fall into a gutter system that drains into water storage tanks. This method, they added, requires “no extra energy” output as a bonus.
Over the course of their year-long field study, the team found they could collect up to 10 liters per square meter per day, which they estimated would be enough to supplement the water supply for the community of 10,000 people for irrigation, agriculture, and human consumption.
“This research represents a notable shift in the perception of fog water use — from a rural, rather small-scale solution to a practical water resource for cities,” Dr. Virginia Carter Gamberini, an assistant professor at Universidad Mayor and first co-author of the Frontiers in Environmental Science study, shared. “Our findings demonstrate that fog can serve as a complementary urban water supply in drylands where climate change exacerbates water shortages.”
The only caveat of the study was that only the region’s higher-altitude sites, just outside the city limits, saw significant water-collection levels. Additionally, they calculated that, based on an average water-collection rate of 2.5 liters per square meter per day, they’d need 17,000 square meters of mesh (about 4.2 acres) to produce enough water to meet the region’s total weekly water demand. For the same system to work in other arid places, those places would also need the Goldilocks conditions, including the right fog density and wind patterns.
But, they noted, it’s a start. “We hope to encourage policymakers to integrate this renewable source into national water strategies,” Carter added. “This could enhance urban resilience to climate change and rapid urbanization while improving access to clean water.”
