If your energy is low, you’ll want to avoid the digging involved in a belowground still. All you really need is a clear plastic bag, and you can use the transpiration technique to collect potable water:

• In the morning, take a bag and tie it around a leafy green tree branch or shrub.
• Weight the inside with a rock to create a low point for the water to collect.

Over the course of the day the plant will transpire and produce moisture that will collect at the low point. Poke a hole to drink the water or pour it into a container for later. The water will taste like whatever plant you choose, but it’s better than nothing. It’s also important to use non-poisonous vegetation. Once you’re done, tie the hole shut and reuse the bag. Read more

If you’re stranded and there isn’t a fresh water source around, then you need to get to work on collecting water. There are a few techniques to do this, and it doesn’t hurt to set up more than one system. The more water you can collect, the better your chances of survival.

One pretty basic way you can collect water is to make a belowground still. To do this, you’ll need some plasticsheeting, a digging tool, a container, a drinking tube and a rock. Read more

Interactive world map visualizes water scarcity around the globe

To help you make better decisions, our researchers created the water scarcity atlas, an educational tool that shows what water limitations mean globally

The average person in Europe uses 3000-5000 litres of water per day, of which the lion’s share is spent on food production – a considerable part on the other side of the globe. The world’s limited water resources are becoming an even more pressing issue as populations grow and climate change causes droughts in the global South and North. While studies have already provided a number of ways to reduce our consumption of water, this valuable information is often left unused.

Water researchers at Aalto University wanted to better communicate research findings to a broader audience. The Water Scarcity Atlas, a web application created by Postdoctoral Researcher Joseph Guillaume and Assistant Professor Matti Kummu, uses interactive global maps to provide an introduction to the problems that arise with limited water – water scarcity – and ways to fight them. Read more

In addition to producing oil and gas, the energy industry produces a lot of water, about 10 barrels of water per barrel of oil on average. New research led by The University of Texas at Austin has found that where the produced water is stored underground influences the risk of induced earthquakes.

This is an aerial view of hydraulic fracturing operations across the jonah field, a large natural gas field in Wyoming

Beyond supporting the link between water disposal and induced seismicity, the research also describes factors that can help reduce earthquake risk.

“If we want to manage seismicity, we really need to understand the controls,” said lead author Bridget Scanlon, a senior research scientist at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology.

The research was published Oct. 31 in the journal Seismological Research Letters. Co-authors include Matthew Weingarten, assistant professor at San Diego State University; Kyle Murray, adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma; and Robert Reedy, research scientist associate at the Bureau of Economic Geology. The bureau is a research unit at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. Read more

Without water, plants wilt and die. But too much water can be as bad for plants as not enough. If land plants are submerged in water for too long, even if just their roots are submerged, they may rot or drown from lack of oxygen.

Watering plants is essential for healthy growth, but too much water can harm your plants.­

Balancing plants’ water needs is like having a healthful diet. Everything should be consumed in moderation. Provide your plants with enough water for good health, but don’t flood them with it. Read more